page_title: Greece–Serbia relations
section_title: Greek position on Serbia in EU
hierarchical_section_title: Greece–Serbia relations / Bilateral relations / State / Greek position on Serbia in EU
caption_attribution_description: Serbian Ambassadorial conference 2010 with George Papandreou as a special guest
context_page_description: Greece and Serbia enjoy close diplomatic relations, which have traditionally been friendly due to cultural, religious and historical ties between the two nations.
  The majority of Serbs and Greeks practice the Eastern Orthodox faith and the two nations were historically bound by alliance treaties and co-belligerence in wars since the Middle Ages. In modern times, the revolutions against the Ottoman Empire, the Balkan Wars, the World Wars and Yugoslav wars, and the Greek opposition to the NATO bombing of FR Yugoslavia, where Greece was the only NATO member to condemn the actions and openly expressed its disapproval, and Greece's subjequent refusal to recognize the Kosovo Unilateral Declaration of Independence, backing the Serbian stance on this issue as one of the five European Union's member states that have done so, also have contributed to these relations.
  Greece is a strong supporter of the EU membership candidacy for Serbia, and in 2003 it has proposed the "Agenda 2014" for boosting the Euro-Atlantic integration of all the Western Balkan states into the Union.
context_section_description: In June 2008 Greece's ambassador to Serbia Christos Panagopoulos said Greece consistently backs Serbia’s development and wants it to assume its place in the EU. He stated that political leadership of Greece wish is for Serbia to take its place in the European family and that Greece believes that is the best for Serbia and for regional stability. According to Panagopoulos, Greece is conducting a policy of support to Serbia’s development and improving the lives of its citizens, as reflected in the large aid that Serbia received after 2000, as well as investments that exceed 2.5 billion EUR. He recalled that in 2001 and 2002 the serious situation in the country dictated that aid was predominantly of a humanitarian character, but that this was followed by development aid. Greece adopted an important aid program, dubbed the "Hellenic Plan for the Economic Reconstruction of the Balkans", which earmarked 230 million EUR for Serbia. The bulk of this sum, about 80 percent, was intended for infrastructure, including Corridor X, which was a priority both for Serbia and Greece. Of the overall costs of construction of Corridor 10, amounting to about 300 million EUR, 100 million will constitute a net donation from the Greek government. He underlined that one of Athens and its Belgrade-based embassy’s goals was the promotion of economic relations, which had a very positive dynamism, since Greece topped the list of countries making direct and indirect investment in Serbia. He said that Greece is present in all strategic branches of the economy, meaning that Greek investors came to Serbia to stay and that Greek investment will create more than 27,000 jobs for Serbian citizens. Panagopoulos expressed his hope that this trend would shortly be expanded with Serbian investment in Greece.
  On 19 October 2008, The Greek Foreign Minister, Dora Bakoyannis, said that Greeks and Serbs have a special relationship and that Serbia is coming closer to the European Union, making important steps on the way and that she believed Serbia had much to offer for the EU.
  "It’s well known that Greece is Serbia’s friend and that we firmly support her EU path. Among the encouraging signs are Serbia’s cooperation with the International Court of Justice, the progress Serbia has registered in the area of structural reforms, and her consistent pro-European position on the international arena"
  "The Serbs and the Greeks have long had a special relationship. We understand one another and throughout history we’ve always got on. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that I’ve easily achieved cooperation with Serbian politicians that I’ve had the chance to meet. I have the utmost respect for President [Boris] Tadić, and I have a close, sincere and fruitful relationship with Foreign Minister [Vuk] Jeremić,“ said the minister on relations between the two countries."
  — Dora Bakoyannis, 19 October 2008
  Greek Foreign Minister Dimitris Droutsas met with Serbian counterpart Vuk Jeremić on 22 May, they said that relations between the two countries are excellent, they further discussed Western Balkans in the European Union, Greece said the region would join the EU by 2014. Jeremić thanked Greece's position on Kosovo, the economic cooperation and overall excellent relations. Greece is Serbia's top important partner in Southeastern Europe. Greece helped with the visa liberalization, and Jeremić said: "This year, our citizens will be able to travel to the Greek sea much easier. They will spend their vacations in Greece, because there is no seacoast in the region where our citizens can feel better than in Greece...." Droutsas said Greece is ready to ratify Serbia's Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA) immediately.
caption: Serbian Ambassadorial conference 2010 with George Papandreou. The government of Serbia has set a goal for EU accession by 2014, as per the Papandreou plan - Agenda 2014
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