The confirmed and formalised participation of the United States in Expo 2027 in Serbia is an important signal to investors and represents a further deepening of economic co-operation between the two countries, analysts told Blic. According to them, the reality of relations between Serbia and the United States today is completely different from what it was 30 years ago.
This is also reflected in the visit of Sarah Rogers, Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy at the State Department, to Belgrade, where she signed the agreement confirming America’s participation in the Expo and held talks with President Aleksandar Vučić and Foreign Minister Marko Đurić.
On that occasion, Rogers stated, among other things, that she was looking forward to cooperating with the Government of Serbia and continuing preparations for the Expo. She also said that “Americans and Serbs are freedom-loving peoples who have always wanted to be free”, and that the theme of the Expo aligns perfectly with and embodies those values.
“We are now witnessing a completely different reality in Serbia–US relations“
Petar Donić, a researcher at the organisation New Third Way (Novi Treći Put), told Blic that, if we look at the past several years, we can see that “there has been an increase in relations between American and Serbian institutions in a formal sense”.
“This is another step in that direction. I think it is important to bear in mind that it is a significant economic signal that the world’s largest economy – which is also the most innovative, leading in technologies such as artificial intelligence, has decided to formally participate in a major business fair that will take place in Serbia. That is a very important signal both for investors and for other businesses, and we can certainly expect a positive contribution and strong attendance in that respect,” Donić said.
He added that it should also be noted that “in addition to a series of high-level meetings between officials, this represents a further deepening of the segment of economic co-operation”.
“Before this, a strategic dialogue agreement had been signed, so if we compare it with a period 20 or 30 years ago, when relations between Serbia and the United States were almost non-existent, we are now witnessing a completely different reality,” Donić stated.
“America sees Serbia as part of Western civilisation”
He added that it was particularly significant that Sarah Rogers had stated that “America sees Serbia as part of Western civilisation and culture, and as a guardian of the heritage of Western civilisation”.
“That represents a certain change in the narrative. It is also significant to see mention of the contribution Serbian immigration has recently made to American politics, which again signals a shift in the narrative that over previous decades had, at best, been neutrally disposed towards Serbs. It is important that events like this take place, and important that major powers are involved – especially strong economic players who, by formally participating in the Expo, send a message to the market, the economy, investors and other businesses that Serbia is open for business,” Donić concluded.
Latinović: It is very good that America has confirmed its participation in the Expo
Branka Latinović, a former ambassador to the OSCE, also told Blic that “it is very positive that America has confirmed its participation in the Expo”.
“That is very good considering what America can offer at the Expo. Such a level of agreement was something that could have been expected. This event has certainly also been used as an indication that there is a channel of communication between Serbia and the American administration after a period during which meetings took place only at the level of congressmen and senators. In that way, the importance of mutual relations has been reinforced,” Latinović said.
On the other hand, she noted that there is very little information regarding the further development of relations between Serbia and the United States.
“Washington still maintains a restrictive approach regarding the appointment of ambassadors in the countries of the Western Balkans. In practice, only Zagreb has had an American ambassador appointed, while in all the other countries there are chargés d’affaires who do not carry the same diplomatic weight. Ambassadors are representatives of the head of state, the highest envoys, but as we can see, there has been no progress there,” Latinović underlined.
She added that the United States is currently occupied with “other priorities”, such as ending the war in Iran and President Donald Trump’s visit to China.
“At the moment, their focus is on relations with the EU and NATO, and even with the Pope. We can see that developments are taking place in Bosnia and Herzegovina following the resignation of High Representative Christian Schmidt, and only once we see who his successor will be will we understand the background. It appears that the US currently sees no reason to become heavily engaged in the region, because that would require far greater capacities,” Latinović concluded.
(Blic, 13.05.2026)