National Assembly Deputy Speaker Dr Vladimir Orlic Meets with Polish Parliament Deputy Speaker Malgorzata Gosiewska

Deputy Speaker Orlic stressed that full membership in the European Union is Republic of Serbia's basic strategic goal. 'On that path, we have done a great and serious job and we approach the work ahead of us conscientiously and responsibly. As usual, we are the ones at the forefront of that business, we have always been prepared for more than we got in terms of consent to open new clusters. Serbia is fully prepared for the opening of two more clusters, we believe it would be realistic for them to be opened by the end of the year and we expect support from our partners in it. We would consider that a fair and honest evaluation of what Serbia has achieved', said Deputy Speaker Orlic. He thanked Poland for the support it provides to Serbia on its European path, hoping that it could count on it in the future as well.

Still, the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina remains an aggravating circumstance. Serbia considers Kosovo-Metohija an integral part of its territory and will not give up the search for a compromise solution to that issue.

'The dialogue, however, yields no results due to Pristina's ignorant and sabotage approach. They do not want a dialogue and do not hesitate to say so openly. The establishment of a Community of Serb Municipalities as the most important item of the Brussels Agreement has not been fulfilled yet. You will agree that this also calls into question the credibility of the EU, as the guarantor of said Agreement', Orlic stated.

Speaking about the economic cooperation between Serbia and Poland, Orlic said that there is a lot of room for its improvement. He took the opportunity to ask the Polish Parliament Deputy Speaker to convey to her colleagues and associates that Serbia is currently the most suitable country for foreign investments.

'We are very proud that the annual growth of our GDP has been at the very top of the results recorded in Europe year after year', said Orlic. He said that Serbia has a record number of foreign investments and that Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic's 'Open Balkans' initiative would lead to the formation of a single market and thus propel the entire region, as well as strengthen good neighbourly relations.

The Polish Parliament Deputy Speaker expressed gratitude for the opportunity to meet with colleagues from the National Assembly. She highlighted the great interest in strengthening inter-parliamentary cooperation and stressed that Poland is ready to provide all the help and rich experience it has of the European integration process.

'We will be happy to share our experiences with you. We can do that through commissions and parliamentary offices, but cooperation at the level of local self-governments can also be very important', Gosiewska said. She added that projects such as partner cities give very good results, expressing a very positive attitude toward strengthening ties between the two countries. On the occasion, she added that there is great interest in Poland for Serbia and that it should be developed.

Gosiewska said that the information she received from Deputy Speaker Orlic about Kosovo-Metohija was very important and useful, adding that Poland neither has nor maintains diplomatic relations with the so-called the state of Kosovo and that the Polish people have repeatedly expressed their support for Serbia on the issue.

Orlic took the opportunity to warn the guest about the new wave of pressure for the so-called Kosovo to get membership in international organisations, including UNESCO, which he called a paradox of a kind, considering that it is precisely the actions of Pristina's institutions that endanger the Orthodox Christian heritage in Kosovo-Metohija. 'We will protect our interests and our state everywhere, we fought for that right. And our position is the backbone of a strong state policy led by the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, implemented by our Government and strongly supported by our National Assembly', concluded Orlic.

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