The United States and Israel are important political, economic and strategic partners of Serbia, and relations with both countries continue to develop through continuous dialogue, mutual understanding and increasingly intensive cooperation, said Ivan Bošnjak, Deputy CEO of Millennium Team and Vice President of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, at the opening of the conference “Partners in a Changing World: Central and Eastern Europe, America, Israel and the New Middle East”.
Addressing participants at the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia, where the conference was held, Bošnjak emphasized that, in today’s complex geopolitical environment, building stable relationships based on trust is essential for Serbia’s international positioning and stronger ties with global partners.
“For Serbia, it is important that the strong political cooperation and established partnerships with the United States and Israel are further strengthened through concrete economic and business projects. This is precisely why the business sector has a key role in transforming political trust into new investments, knowledge exchange, innovation development and the strengthening of domestic companies’ capacities,” Bošnjak said.
He pointed out that Serbia is making considerable efforts to create a stable and competitive business environment in order to attract new investments and support the continued growth of the domestic economy, noting that the country attracts more than 60 percent of all foreign direct investment in the region.
Bošnjak also noted that Serbia’s trade and investment cooperation with the United States continues to intensify, highlighting that total trade in goods reached USD 1.6 billion in 2025, while trade in services recorded a historic high of nearly USD 2.9 billion, with Serbia achieving a surplus of almost USD 1.9 billion, primarily driven by the IT sector.
“Today, the United States is Serbia’s most important export market for services. There are currently 635 companies with majority American ownership operating in Serbia, employing more than 22,000 people and making a significant contribution to the development of our economy,” Bošnjak emphasized.
He added that Serbia and Israel continue to nurture traditionally friendly relations, while economic cooperation between the two countries has been steadily growing. Trade in goods has tripled over the past four years, reaching approximately USD 324 million in 2025.
“We see particularly strong potential for further cooperation in the fields of information technologies, artificial intelligence, infrastructure, and innovation in agriculture, energy and healthcare. Israeli investors are already highly active in Serbia’s construction sector,” Bošnjak said.
He pointed out that the development of the innovation and startup ecosystem is another important area in which Serbia can learn from Israel’s experience, noting that Israel has built one of the world’s most successful innovation models by connecting universities, research centres, companies, investors and the state into a unified innovation support system
Bošnjak emphasized that Serbia is also recording strong growth in the field of information technologies, noting that exports of ICT services reached USD 4.5 billion in 2025, accounting for almost one-third of Serbia’s total exports of services.
“This demonstrates that our country has significant potential in the field of innovation and new technologies and that there is substantial room for cooperation with Israeli expertise, as well as with American technology companies,” Bošnjak said.
He recalled that the Serbian Chamber of Commerce and Industry has a representative office in Israel, which serves as an important bridge for further cooperation between companies and institutions, adding that the opening of an Israeli business representation office in Serbia has also been announced.
“The world we live in today requires greater cooperation, understanding and joint action. Partnerships based on trust, knowledge and shared interests are the best response to the challenges of our time. Serbia remains committed to being a reliable partner, open to new ideas, investments and projects that connect our countries and our peoples,” Bošnjak stated.
The conference was also addressed by Ana Brnabić, Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia, who emphasized that Serbia highly values its strategic relations with the United States, describing the launch of the strategic dialogue with Washington as one of the country’s most significant diplomatic achievements in recent decades.
She also stressed that Serbia deeply values its friendship and partnership with Israel, noting that relations between the two countries are based on mutual respect, trust and a sincere willingness to understand and support one another in difficult times.
Bishop Dositej of Lipljan also addressed the conference participants, conveying a message from His Holiness Patriarch Porfirije.
Vladimir Marinković, President of the Congress of Serbian-American Friendship, the organiser of the conference, also addressed the participants at the opening ceremony. He stated that there is today nothing more natural and logical than for Serbia, Israel and the United States to be allies and strategic partners, as they have shared the same values throughout history. He added that, in the changed geopolitical circumstances, Serbia seeks to serve as a bridge between the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, Israel and the United States.
