“Italy is utterly convinced that Serbia’s European integration must make progress, with the opening of negotiating chapters by the end of 2015”. This was Minister Paolo Gentiloni’s comment at the press conference in Belgrade with his Serbian counterpart, Ivica Dacic. “We cannot keep such a significant process for the EU at a standstill. Serbia has made commitments and is keeping to them, as the meeting in February between Belgrade and Pristina shows”, added Gentiloni.
The Serbian foreign minister, Dacic, thanked Italy for its strong and constant support for his country’s European integration process. He expressed his satisfaction with “the high level of Italian-Serbian dialogue at the very highest levels”, and hoped to see economic and commercial links grow even stronger.
Mattarella to visit Belgrade on 25 May
Minister Gentiloni announced that the President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella, will visit Belgrade on 25 May 2015. “In about 10 days”, he added, “the date of the 4th Italy-Serbia inter-governmental summit, which will also be held in Belgrade, will be decided”.
Talks with President Tomislav Nikolić and Premier Aleksandar Vučić
Foreign minister Gentiloni also met President Tomislav Nikolić and the Premier, Aleksandar Vučić. They underscored the excellent state of Italian-Serbian relations and expressed the hope that Serbia would see new Italian investment, especially in the agricultural and food sectors.
