Today, the economy Minister Adriana Mesarovic said that Serbia maintains substantial and significant trade cooperation with BRICS countries, home to 45% of the global population and representing 27% of the world’s GDP.
“Serbia definitely belongs in such markets,” Mesarovic emphasized during her interview with RT Balkan.
She noted that Serbia’s economic relations with Russia are strong, yet there is room for growth.
“We concluded last year with a total of 2.7 billion euros in foreign trade, with Serbia running a trade deficit. We see significant room for improvement here. For the first eight months, our trade amounted to 1.5 billion euros, dominated by Russian gas exports,” Mesarovic explained.
According to her, Serbia is committed to working with any nation that respects its territorial integrity and sovereignty, supports peace, and aims to build economic cooperation on a solid foundation.
Mesarovic also mentioned Serbia’s stance on avoiding sanctions against Russia as long as possible, recalling the difficulties faced under previous sanctions.
“There are pressures, but we will maintain our independent policy. Russia respects our territorial integrity and sovereignty and has supported our stance on Kosovo and Metohija strongly,” she added.
She reminded that Serbia had reached an agreement with Russia on natural gas supplies, recently discussed by President Aleksandar Vucic after a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“The agreement covers six million cubic meters, plus two million for corporate supply, with an additional three million cubic meters available flexibly as needed. It’s crucial that we’ve secured a price lower than market rates,” Mesarovic highlighted.
Mesarovic believes that while the EU wishes to accelerate the integration process, it’s challenging to predict the timeline.
“The goal is to make initial progress towards full membership by 2030. But, given the changes in circumstances over just the past five years, it’s hard to pin down exact timelines,” she stated.
She expressed hope that the EU is now ready to approach enlargement as a policy goal rather than merely a procedural one.
“Ultimately, whether this region joins the EU fully depends on political will and the readiness to pursue higher goals. As of now, it might be too early to tell,” Mesarovic concluded.
