Serbia - Visit by Nathalie Loiseau (Belgrade, 25.02.19)

Nathalie Loiseau, Minister for European Affairs, visited Serbia on February 25. She reaffirmed our long-standing ties of friendship with Serbia and express France’s desire to continue and to strengthen our political and regional cooperation.

The minister met with President Aleksandar Vucic, the main Serbian political leaders as well as students and representatives of civil society. She worked with them on preparations for President Macron’s visit to the country.

France is committed to strengthening support for Serbia’s economic and social development, thanks to the backing of the French Development Agency (AFD) under an agreement that will be signed by Ms. Loiseau and her Serbian counterparts. This agreement complements the commitment of France and its firms involved in major projects related to the upgrading of Belgrade Airport and the metro project in the Serbian capital. France would also like to strengthen our cooperation in the area of security, notably with respect to the fight against terrorism and organized crime.

Nathalie Loiseau shared our determination to strengthen our ties with the Western Balkans. She reaffirmed France’s support for efforts to reach an agreement on the full normalization of relations between Serbia and Kosovo, which is key to ensuring stability in the region. She presented France’s position on the rapprochement between the EU and the Western Balkans countries and reaffirmed the need to ensure full respect for the rule of law, which is at the heart of European values, and to continue the reforms, which France supports.