VUCIC IN A TEXT FOR "POLITICO": Serbia paid a high price for nationalistic mistakes

The future of the Balkans looks much brighter than many that have predicted two decades ago, wrote the Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic in his text for the press, American "Politico". 

A gala dinner for Vucic and a delegation was organized (PHOTO)

Recommended

- Balkan wars left more than 100.000 dead and made millions of people away from their homes. The economy of the region lied in ruins, and many of our brightest went searching for better future - wrote Vucic.

He said that the political leaders didn't believe each other and they didn't have the right vision for the future.

- As a young man, I didn't see what we could from cooperation, despite the divisions. But I know that my country paid a high price for those nationalistic mistakes - Vucic said.

He pointed out that relations between the countries of the region have dramatically transformed over the past decade.

- They improved because we decided to change the course. We decided to learn from past mistakes. We decided to place our countries and our people in the first place. If we did not believe in the common future of the region, we could not overcome the years of bitter hostility that separated us - he wrote, adding that a lot of hard work is waiting for us.

The President stressed that we must live in accordance with the promises we bring to our people. - The free flow of goods, services, people, and capital will make our region more attractive for investment. Individually, we are small players, but collectively, we are a market of 20 million - he wrote.

Foto: Telegraf, Google maps

Vucic emphasizes that the establishment of a common market between the countries of the Western Balkans will double the current level of foreign direct investment and bring at least eight to nine billion dollars of investments annually, compared to last year's $ 4.6 billion.

He points out that the Western Balkans felt the destructive effects of nationalism first and that now when many European countries are turning to themselves, we want to look beyond our borders and focus on what connects us.

- The issues that unite us are stronger than those which divide us. We all want stability. We all want economic growth and prosperity. We all want to improve the lives of our people. And we can achieve these goals only through closer economic cooperation - concludes President Vucic.

(Telegraf.co.uk)