First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia Ivica Dacic received today US Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland.

After the meeting at the Palace of Serbia, Minister Dacic emphasized the commitment to further development and improvement of the relations between Serbia and the United States and recalled that one of the priorities of Serbia's foreign policy is the relation with Washington.

"I think the greatest possible interest of Serbia is to find common ground with the U.S. foreign policy", said Dacic.

The Serbian Foreign Minister stressed that Serbia's interest is to be the factor of peace and stability in the region, and a serious political factor next year when it takes over the OSCE chairmanship.

Dacic also estimated that if Washington wanted peace and stability in the region, it was important to find common interest with the biggest country in the region.

"It is important to maintain relations marked by mutual trust, so that there would be no need to avoid difficult subjects, tell untruths and make false promises", Dacic said.

Nuland, who is staying in Belgrade for the first time since she has assumed office, sent a message that the United States strongly supported Serbia's progress towards EU membership, an ambitious reform agenda of the Government of Serbia, as well as that they had an interest in the full normalization of the relations between Belgrade and Pristina.

Nuland emphasized that she personally and the U.S. were "impressed" by the progress made over the past two years in Serbia - the elections, wining the EU candidate status, as well as the fact that next year Serbia would take over the OSCE chairmanship.

"The U.S. wishes to deepen and expand the collaboration with Serbia in the area of regional security, Euro-Atlantic security and economic relations", she said, noting that a number of American investors were doing business in Serbia already, but even more investors were interested to come to Serbia.

High official of the U.S. State Department said that she discussed with Dacic stability in Bosnia and Hercegovina, as well as the situation in Ukraine, where Serbia would have a key role in establishing stability, once it assumed the OSCE chairmanship.

At the press conference, Dacic called for further development and improvement of the relations between Serbia and the United States, recalling that the relations with Washington were one of the priorities of Serbia's foreign policy.