On the 20th of September, at the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia, the “Day of America 2024” event was held, gathering government officials, the diplomatic core and many other esteemed guests to an event aiming to expand the Serbian-American cooperation
Participants of this event discussed ways to enhance political, economic, and military cooperation, building upon the recent signing of a significant energy agreement between Serbia and the USA. Vladimir Marinković, the founder of the Serbian-American Friendship Congress, expressed confidence in achieving a comprehensive strategic partnership. He emphasized the favorable timing and the potential for substantial progress in various areas of bilateral cooperation.
Serbian Labor Minister Nemanja Starović echoed this optimism, stating that Serbia is ready to embark on a new phase in its relationship with the United States. He reaffirmed the country’s commitment to its foreign policy principles of military neutrality and political independence, while emphasizing the potential for further deepening cooperation with the US.
The US Ambassador to Serbia, H.E. Christopher R. Hill, emphasized the importance of continued cooperation between the two countries, despite their differences on certain issues. He assured Serbs that Serbia is no longer alone and has many friends, including the United States.
A delegation from the Ohio National Guard also attended the conference. Major General John Harris, the delegation’s commander, expressed his pleasure in participating in the event and reaffirmed the strong partnership between Serbia and the United States. He highlighted recent visits that had allowed him to witness the progress made in bilateral cooperation. Harris also thanked Serbia for its warm welcome on behalf of the 16,000 members of the Ohio National Guard.
After the opening remarks, the first panel of the event was on the topic of “Serbia and the USA, Strategic Dialogue and Partnership for the 21st Century”. The participants of the panel were the Political Advisor to the Prime Minister of the Republic of Serbia, Predrag Rajić, Minister of Labor, Employment, Veteran, and Social Affairs, Nemanja Starović and the U.S. Ambassador to Serbia, H.E. Christopher R. Hill.
To end the first panel, special awards for the improvement of bilateral cooperation between Serbia and the USA were given to seven laureates. The awards were given by Danijela Popović Jurić, founder of RED Communication and the winners were: Tijana Delić, Biljana Sahrimanjan Obradović, Đorđe Višacki, prof. dr Dragan Simić, Aleksandar Vasiljević, H.E. Cristopher R. Hill & the Prime Minister of Serbia, Milioš Vučević.
The second panel, “The Role of Public and Cultural Diplomacy in Strengthening Serbia-U.S. Relations” was discussed with the President of the Halyard Foundation, John Capello, who shared his views on the ties and cooperation between the two countries. He explained how the Halyard Mission Foundation aims to educate the public about the the Halyard Mission, known as a rescue mission of over 500 US airmen during WWII in which the Serbs played an important role in the its success.
The event finished with the Business forum: “Economy, Investments, and Strategic Economic Cooperation between Serbia and the USA”. The panelist were Jovan Mladenović, Millennium Resorts, Mihajlo Subotić, Street Guys Hospitality and Sally Mayers, U.S. Embassy Economic Section. The participants had an opportunity to discuss the economic aspects of the partnership between Serbia and the USA and the entrepreneurial potentials in both countries.
