国际英语新闻:Serbia's new president urges for regional cooperation

BELGRADE, June 23 (Xinhua) -- Serbia is ready to work together with all global and regional countries in order to secure a brighter future for its people, President Aleksandar Vucic said Friday in his inauguration speech.

The ceremony was held in front of more than 5,000 guests at the Palace of Serbia.

In his inauguration speech, Vucic invited the leaders of regional countries who arrived here as guests to cooperate more, especially when it comes to economy, in order to "achieve the best possible results for our citizens".

"We, Serbians, Croatians, Bosnians, Montenegrins, Albanians and Macedonians are able to 'move mountains' together, not by creating a new Yugoslavia, but by working together and fighting for a better future of our impoverished citizens," Vucic said.

He said Serbia decided to remain on the European path "because we wish to belong to the society of well-arranged countries and to build good relations with the Western world after decades of problems, including good relations with the United States".

"At the same time, we are proud of the fact that Russia is not only our traditional friend, but also a country with which we are strengthening our bilateral relations and show sincere friendship at a moment when many others in the world have different attitudes," Vucic said.

He continued that the country's leadership "opened new opportunities for Serbia by creating excellent relations with China as well as many other countries of the world," he added.

The inauguration ceremony, which lasted for around three hours, was one of the biggest high level political events in Serbia in the past several decades.

Vucic, former prime minister of Serbia, won the April 2 presidential election and assumed office on May 31.