Athens, 28 April 2011

Mr. Droutsas: Mr. Dacic and I are personal friends, and it is a particular pleasure to welcome him to Athens today. I would like to take this opportunity to stress once again that we have absolute faith in the Serbian government. It has shown clearly that it is dedicated to the goal of European accession. This is a vision that we share: for Serbia to become a member of the EU at the soonest possible time.

Greece and Serbia have common ties, historical ties, and our cooperation is close in many sectors. So, it’s a great pleasure to have you in Athens again and have this opportunity to see each other. Welcome.

Mr. Dacic: I, too, would like to express my satisfaction at this meeting. It’s not just historical ties between our countries and our peoples. There are also the personal ties with the Prime Minister and Mr. Droutsas. I believe that the relations between the two countries will be friendly in the future as well; that we will help each other whenever needed.

I had a very good meeting today with my counterpart, the Citizen Protection Minister, regarding police cooperation between us. Once again I would like to thank Greece for its support on Serbia’s course towards the EU and European accession in the near future, I hope. Greek enterprises are major investors in Serbia, and Serbia is among the top four countries of origin for tourists coming to Greece.

Mr. Droutsas: And we expect them again this summer.

Mr. Dacic: We also discussed the prospect of creating joint Serbian-Greek police patrols in areas where most of the Serbian tourists go. I am sure that Serbian tourists will come to Greece again and again, because they feel at home here.