First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia Ivica Dacic received today Minister Plenipotentiary at the Foreign Ministry of the Republic of Italy Michele Giacomelli, who is visiting Belgrade as the Special Envoy in charge of organization of the Berlin Process Summit, to take place in Italy by the summer of 2017.

This regional process, launched in Berlin in 2014, brings together Prime Ministers and Foreign Ministers of the Western Balkan Six with a view to getting the Western Balkans closer to the European Union, establishing ever closer mutual political and economic cooperation, focusing on different infrastructural projects.

As a good connoisseur of the situation in the region, and one of the major investors, Italy will continue to pursue its ambitious programme, introducing innovative – in addition to the existing elements, including strengthening of the position of small and medium-sized companies through sustainable attraction of capital, and cooperation in anti-corruption efforts.

Foreign Minister Dacic reiterated that Serbia would continue to be a constructive partner in the Berlin Process, cooperating with Rome very actively on all aspects of this format. Minister Dacic presented to his interlocutor regional policy priorities in the context of "Connectivity Agenda", i.e. infrastructural projects in transport and energy sectors, as well as connecting youth through cooperation within the framework of the newly established Regional Youth Cooperation Office. He also committed himself to the implementation of currently realistic projects, taking the entire financial construction into account. He assessed the Berlin Process also as a tool of support and confidence-building, aimed at ensuring unhampered continuation of the European integration process.