Berlin: Reception at the Embassy of the Republic of Serbia on the occasion of Statehood Day

Also in attendance were representatives of the Serbian diaspora – presidents of Serbian associations from Berlin –, as well as representatives of the diplomatic corps.

“On the Statehood Day of the Republic of Serbia, we mark two important dates – the beginning of the First Serbian Uprising against the Ottoman Empire in 1804 and the adoption of the first Serbian constitution in 1835, which was the most advanced in Europe at the time” stated Ambassador Janković, adding that “the Serbian people were then united in the struggle for freedom and justice, values to which we are still committed today”.

Ambassador Janković pointed out that today, Serbia was a modern country which aspired to become a full EU member, along with building friendly relations with all countries in the world. She mentioned that EU membership was Serbia’s main foreign policy objective and thanked Germany for its help and support in fulfilling that goal.

“Germany has been our most important partner in the political and economic sense for years, and last year, despite the pandemic, was marked by an intensive political dialogue” stressed Janković, and, among other things, expressed confidence that Serbia would continue its successful cooperation with the new German government in areas of common interest. “After radical fiscal reforms, Serbia has achieved exceptional economic results, becoming the first economy in the region in terms of economic growth and attracting foreign investment” she said.

Ambassador Janković added that economic cooperation was the most dynamic area of cooperation between Serbia and Germany and that there were currently over 500 German companies operating in Serbia, employing some 75,000 workers. She emphasised that there was a long tradition of relations between the two countries which, at the end of this and the beginning of next year, would be celebrating 140 years since the signing of the Trade and Consular Convention.

Ambassador Janković also noted the celebration of two extremely important anniversaries of cultural cooperation: 200 years since Vuk Karadžić's collaboration with Goethe, Schiller and the Grimm brothers, and 240 years since Dositej Obradović studied at the Universities of Leipzig and Halle.

President of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce Marko Čadež said that Germany was not only Serbia’s leading economic partner and one of its largest investors, but also the number one destination for the export of Serbian products. He stressed that Germany had invested over three billion euros in Serbia, in the economy and infrastructure. He also pointed out the importance of the Berlin Process and Open Balkans initiatives, explaining that their goal was economic connection and prosperity of the region.