Ambassador Asp applauded the establishment of the Parliamentary Friendship Group with Sweden at the National Assembly which could contribute to the improvement of bilateral relations, especially in view of the vast Serbian diaspora in Sweden and Sweden’s relationship with the region and Serbia in particular.
The members of the Parliamentary Friendship Group with Sweden explained their motives for joining the Parliamentary Friendship Group with Sweden to Ambassador Asp, emphasising their eagerness to exchange experiences from the spheres of the judiciary, legal and political life, and especially in the field of social welfare and to gain better insight into the Swedish model.
Ambassador Asp stressed that Sweden is Serbia’s third biggest donor primarily in the field of social welfare, repeating that via the projects it realises in Serbia, Sweden offers its full support to Serbia’s progress to the EU. He added that Serbia receiving the date for the beginning of negotiations on EU accession is equally important for the EU and Serbia as key country in the region and the region as a whole. He reminded the officials that 70 Swedish companies are operating in Serbia and IKEA is soon expected to invest more than a billion EUR which will also be the biggest investment into Serbia to date.
The Head of the Parliamentary Friendship Group with Sweden, MP Milorad Mijatovic stressed that Serbia values Sweden’s support in the European integration process. He stated that parliamentary cooperation can and should contribute to the development of overall relations between the two countries, particularly economic cooperation which is very important for Serbia.
The National Assembly’s 11-member Parliamentary Friendship Group with Sweden is open for cooperation with any Swedish delegations which may visit Serbia in the future, which would help bring Serbia a step closer to the EU, concluded Mijatovic.
In addition to the Head of the Parliamentary Friendship Group with Sweden, the meeting was also attended by the following Parliamentary Friendship Group members: Milica Dronjak, Ljubica Milosevic, Milanka Jevtovic Vukojicic, Slavica Savic, Pavle Markov and Ljubisa Stojmirovic.