Remarks With Serbian President Boris Tadic After Their Meeting
Secretary Condoleezza Rice
Washington, DC
September 7, 2006
(10:10 a.m. EDT)
SECRETARY RICE: Good morning. I am very pleased to welcome to Washington and to the State Department the President of
Serbia. President Tadic, thank you very much for being here. We've just had a very good discussion about the President's
vision and I think it is a vision that is very much shared for Serbia's future, one of prosperity and democracy and a
force for stability in the Balkans and Europe as a whole. Europe, of course, has gone through a tremendous
transformation in the last twenty years and we look forward to that continuing transformation that allows Serbia and the
Balkans to find complete peace and stability.
We are going to sign now a Status of Forces Agreement. It is only fitting because Serbia and the United States have
enjoyed good cooperation. And I look forward to the deepening of our defense relationship and indeed the deepening of
our friendship.
Mr. President.
PRESIDENT TADIC: Thank you very much, Madame Secretary. I am very satisfied with our talks and I would like to say that
today we are signing this document, this agreement, which is going to be very important in terms of cooperation between
two defense sectors.
After signing this document, Serbia's armed forces are going to create cooperation with the National Guard from Ohio and
this is from my point of view in terms of practice very important, in terms of the location and also in terms of
relations between the United States and Serbia. Without cooperation in the defense sector, we are not going to have
cooperation in the economy on the high level. And from that reason, I'm expecting that in the future, we will have more
investments from the United States, United States companies in Serbia. Thank you. 2006/788
Released on September 7, 2006
ENDS