First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia Ivica Dacic met today with U.S. Congressman Ted Poe, Co-Chair of the Congressional Serbian Caucus, who is on a visit to Belgrade.

The Serbian Foreign Minister expressed his gratitude to Congressman Poe for the efforts he had made so far within the Congressional Serbian Caucus, aiming for the promotion of relations between the two countries and for a better public understanding in the United States of the policy pursued by Serbia, as demonstrated by his address in the House of Representatives on the occasion of the anniversary commemoration of the Halyard Mission, as well as by the congressional letter of support sent to Secretary of State Tillerson, on 3 October.

The collocutors expressed mutual satisfaction over the promotion of overall bilateral relations, from the progress made in the political dialogue to the development of economic relations. In the talks, Serbia's aspiration towards membership of the EU was encouraged, as well as the constructive role it played in maintaining stability in the Western Balkans region.

As the thanked the Minister for the warm welcome, Congressman Poe conveyed his readiness to continue his endeavours towards the further improvement of bilateral relations, recalling that the friendship between our two peoples dated back to the Allied Powers and World War I.