The Ambassador of Italy, Luca Gori, described 2026 as an important year for Serbia in three key areas, among which is the European agenda which, as he underlined, needs to be pushed forward strongly.
“I hope that we will succeed in opening Cluster 3 in order to unblock the process of integration between Serbia and the European Union,” Gori said in a New Year interview for Tanjug, in which he assessed that 2026 would also be important for Italy’s preparations to take part in the specialised Expo 2027 exhibition, which, as he pointed out, is another important driver of our bilateral cooperation.
Emphasising that 2026 will be very important for Serbia, he said that, in addition to strongly advancing the European agenda, it is important to establish dialogue and ensure economic stimulus.
“This year, 2026, will be very important for Serbia and I see three key issues. First of all, it is important to establish dialogue within Serbian society – dialogue between the authorities and civil society organisations, dialogue in parliament, as well as dialogue with students,” Ambassador Gori said.
According to him, secondly, it is important to ensure economic stimulus and recovery after the sensitive period Serbia has gone through.
“And finally, of course, it is important to strongly push the European agenda,” the Italian ambassador said.
He stressed that he views bilateral cooperation very positively.
“We have excellent relations, not only at the political but also at the economic level,” he said.
The ambassador recalled that he had recently been in Niš, where a very important Italian factory, Ariston, was opened.
“So, we have many joint projects that need to be developed,” the ambassador stated.
Also, during 2026, they will work intensively on preparing Italy’s participation in the specialised Expo 2027 exhibition and this will, as he said, be another important driver of bilateral cooperation between Serbia and Italy.
Asked how he sees global cooperation and developments on the global stage, Gori reminded that we are living in a very difficult moment for international relations, as well as for our security and prosperity.
“We really have to be very careful, especially in Europe. And in Europe, the prerequisite for everything has become the ability to achieve a just and lasting peace in Ukraine. That is of utmost importance,” Gori said.
The ambassador stressed that we must then truly defend Europe and enable Europe to become one of the main actors in international relations.
“We must protect our independence, our industrial base, our competitiveness and, ultimately, our values and way of life in a more proactive manner,” emphasised the Ambassador of Italy in Belgrade.
(Euronews, 04.01.2026)
https://www.euronews.rs/srbija/politika/204232/ambasador-italije-2026-kljucna-godina-za-srbiju/vest