Alberto Rubio
“We are going through the best period of our bilateral relations,” said the Serbian Ambassador to Spain, Irena Šarac, during the first reception she chaired to commemorate the National Day and the Armed Forces Day of the Republic of Serbia.
The ambassador, who arrived in Madrid a few weeks ago, thanked the Spanish government for its “continued support” for Serbia’s key priorities: the defence of its territorial integrity and sovereignty and the country’s integration into the EU.
Šarac described relations with Spain as “exceptional”, based on “a highly developed high-level political dialogue” and mutual support in various areas, such as defence and police cooperation. In this respect, the ambassador underlined the “high level of trust and excellent cooperation in the UN mission in Lebanon and in “many significant and quality actions in the fight against organised crime”.
On the Kosovo dispute, Šarac said the Serbian government was willing to continue negotiating with Pristina to find “a lasting and sustainable compromise solution”. But she warned that “there are red lines that Serbia will not cross, such as the membership of so-called Kosovo in the United Nations or in any organisation or agency of the UN system”.
She argued that “if we want to preserve international law and the basic principles of the UN Charter, we must apply the same principles to all cases without exception”.
“Our foreign policy priorities include peace and stability in the Balkans, strengthening relations with our neighbours”, added Šarac, who claimed that EU membership was a priority because “Europe will not be complete without the Balkans, which have always been and are Europe”.
She therefore expressed his gratitude to Spain, which “has always supported Serbia’s progress towards the European Union and “has shown itself to be a sincere friend”, with which she wished to intensify regular contacts between senior officials and explore the possibilities of economic cooperation, “which has great potential that is still unexplored”.
Raquel Gómez-Cambronero, Director General for Western, Central and Southeast Europe, also highlighted this economic relationship. The representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs mentioned, in addition to the visit of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez to Belgrade in 2023, the signing of the memorandum of support for Serbia’s EU integration process and the financial protocol signed by the former Minister of Trade, Reyes Maroto, to stimulate bilateral economic relations.
Gómez-Cambronero, in addition to reiterating Spain’s support for Serbia on the Kosovo issue, said that economic exchanges had increased by 100% in the last four years and expressed her hope that “the accumulated stock of investment will be more balanced, as both countries have much to gain”.
