State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia Nemanja Stevanovic participated in the High Level Ministerial Conference on the Western Balkans, held in Stockholm on 24 June 2019. The conference was organized jointly for the third time by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Sweden and the European Commission’s Representation in Stockholm. Previous conferences with a focus on the Region were held in Stockholm, in December 2015 and in May 2017.

On this occasion, as part of the High Level Ministerial Conference, the panel discussion on the European perspective and development  of the Western Balkans region was held at the European House, with the introductory addresses by the Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallström and the EU Commission Director for the Western Balkans Ruiz Calavera, as well as the presentations of the ministers of foreign affairs, state secretaries and other representatives from the Western Balkans  region.

In his address at the panel, State Secretary Stevanovic highlighted Serbia’s dedication to the achievement of the full-fledged EU membership, concrete results of Serbia’s progress in implementing reforms, with a focus on further strengthening good neighborly relations and enhancing regional co-operation. He particularly pointed out the importance of resolving the issue of Kosovo and Metohija as a precondition for the long-term stability in the Region. In this context, in order to return to the Bruxelles dialogue, he underlined the necessity of withdrawing Pristina’s decision on taxing goods from Serbia, as well as to refrain from undertaking other provocative, unilateral measures.

On the margins of the conference, State Secretary Nemanja Stevanovic had a tête-à-tête meeting with the host, Foreign Minister of the Kingdom of Sweden Margot Wallström, during which Swedish support to the European path of Serbia and the Western Balkans region was confirmed. It was pointed out that the realization of the European perspective of the Western Balkans is important for its stability and prosperity, but also that it is in the long-term interest of the EU. Both sides have identified the need to further strengthen bilateral cooperation between Serbia and Sweden on the economic and investment level.

After the political part of the Ministerial Meeting on the Western Balkans in Stockholm, the business forum was held with the participation of Swedish Minister for trade and Nordic cooperation Ann Linde, representatives of the Swedish Investment and Trade Council – “Business Sweden”, relevant ministers of economy from the Western Balkans and officials of important Swedish companies interested in investing in the Region. In this part of the conference, under the title “Economic development in the Western Balkans – prioritised sectors for the EU and the IFIs funded support”, Serbia was represented by Minister without portfolio in charge of innovation and technological development Nenad Popovic, who presented the development of the innovation environment in Serbia and pointed out the role of the younger generation.