KIRBY: USA to close regional centers and invest money in SME development in Serbia

(Michael Kirby)

US Ambassador to Serbia Michael Kirby says that the plan is to reduce the number of American employees and regional representation offices.

According to him, the USA will stay committed to providing support to Serbia in the years to come, but he stresses that the US budget is not unlimited, which is why a decrease in the number of US offices is in the pipeline.

- The USA is analyzing its support to Serbia, and we've noticed that much money is spent on costly American staff and rents for expensive offices, although there are young and talented people in Serbia who could do that same job - he underlines.

- That is why we've made a decision to close all regional representation offices in order to save money on rents and salaries and invest it in the development of small and medium-sized enterprises in Serbia.

- We've already set up two clusters in this region - a cluster of footwear manufacturers in Vranje and a cluster of building materials in Presevo, which we will help to become independent and self-sustainable - says Kirby.

Kirby also announces that he and Serbian Prime Minister Ivica Dacic will travel to the USA in May to try to attract investors.