ONE YEAR LATER: Serbian – American relations facing the COVID -19 challenges

Relations between Serbia and the United States are one of the priorities of Serbia’s state policy. For most of our history, relations between the two countries have been reflecting partnership, solidarity and brotherhood, and we must not forget that.

“A difficult year is behind us during which we found ourselves in a situation where the same threat knocked on the door of both the rich and the poor. We were all exposed to the same danger, and in such moments there is little that can help except joint fight and solidarity,” said Ivica Dačić, Speaker of the Serbian Parliament at the opening of the conference ONE YEAR LATER: Serbian – American relations facing the COVID -19 challenges“, held on 13th April at the National Assembly.

Vladimir Marinković, Founder of the Serbian-American Friendship Congress, Zorana Mihajlović, Deputy PM and Minister of Mining and Energy, Robert Čoban, President of Color Press Group, Mirsad Đerlek, State Secretary at the Ministry of Health and H.E. Anthony Godfrey, the U.S. ambassador to Serbia

Speaking about the relations between the U.S.A. and Serbia, Deputy PM Zorana Mihajlović, pointed out that she believed that their further development was possible in areas that have key importance for the future, such as climate change, environmental protection, green energy, but also many others. “Serbia and the United States have demonstrated friendship in combating the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and we need to continue to improve relations, among other things, by concluding an agreement on strategic cooperation between the two countries,” Deputy PM added.

The U.S. ambassador to Serbia, H.E. Anthony Godfrey, stated that, this year, the two countries are marking the 140th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations and that the U.S. and Serbia have managed to establish significant cooperation in economy, politics and culture during that time. “Today, we are talking about the partnership between the two countries during the pandemic and I can confirm that Serbia has been a good friend during this time. Serbia has arranged special flights for American citizens, donated protective equipment and tests, and distributed vaccines in the region,” Ambassador Godfrey said and pointed out the importance of the Development Partnership Agreement signed with the USAID and the arrival of the DFC.

The founder of the Serbian-American Friendship Congress, Vladimir Marinković, assessed that Serbia managed to improve relations with the United States at a time when both countries were fighting a difficult battle with the pandemic. “Relations between Serbia and the United States are continuously developing, which is validated by the signing of the Washington Agreement and the Interstate Agreement on Investment Promotion, which is a prerequisite for the implementation of the activities of the American International Development Corporation (DFC) in Serbia. The aforementioned activities contribute to the improvement of political relations and cooperation between the Serbian Parliament and the US Congress,” Mr. Marinković pointed out, adding that, in this part of Europe, the USA had no greater ally than Serbia.

President of Color Press Group, Robert Čoban, said on the occasion: “A year later, we have given a summary of what the relations between America and Serbia look like in 2021, at a time when it seems that both countries are moving fast with vaccination with the view of opening their economies and borders and facilitate the flow of people and goods. In April last year, this was our first online conference and it is very important for us because it opened a completely new field of activity for us, considering that we have organized 30 online conferences from on different topics to date. The U.S. is an important external trade partner of Serbia, and it seems that the political relations between the two countries have taken a completely new direction, which we will certainly be clearly noticeable in the coming period.”

Preserving the mental health of the nation is one of the main challenges during the pandemic, said the State Secretary at the Ministry of Health, Mirsad Đerlek, and warned that we will encounter substantial problems when the coronavirus pandemic subsides. “The health care system is already preparing for the fight to preserve mental health. A good aspect of this fight it is that it has united us and shown that only with great solidarity and empathy can we emerge victorious and return to normal life,” Mr. Đerlek and thanked the Embassy and the United States for investing in Serbia and helping its health care system.

Zorana Mihajlović,  Deputy PM and Minister of Mining and Energy, Vladimir Marinković, Founder of the Serbian-American Friendship Congress (SAFC), H.E. Anthony Godfrey, the U.S. Ambassador to Serbia, Robert Čoban, President of Color Press Group, Mirsad Djerlek, State Secretary at the Serbian Ministry of Health, Steve Stivers, U.S. Congressman and Co-Chair of the Serbian Caucus, and Derek Mitchell, President of National Democratic Institute (NDI) took part in the conference which was organized by The Serbian-American Friendship Congress and Color Media Communications.

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