(ANSA) - BELGRADE, SEPTEMBER 18 - Serbia's premier Ana Brnabic, who met Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin today, said she is hoping for a stronger economic and commercial cooperation between Serbia and Germany, along with an enhancement of the flow of German investments in Serbia. Speaking to journalists at the end of the talks, Brnabic remarked that Germany is Serbia's first economic partner with a trade of about 5bn euros. In the Balkan country, 400 German companies are active, employing 60,000 people.

The premier, cited by the media based in Belgrade, underlined that the Serbian economy is growing by 3-4%, with unemployment down to 10.3% from 25% recorded a few years ago. According to the premier, integration in the EU remains Serbia's main strategic goal. Brnabic then said that his country is engaged in resolving the Kosovo issue, on which Germany and Serbia still disagree. Serbia, she said, is aware of the importance of reforms, and is committed to this issue especially in the rule of law, media freedom and fight against corruption and crime. Brnabic thanked Merkel for Germany's support of Serbia's European integration process and for starting the Berlin Process five years ago, an initiative that has already made a concrete contribution to the European integration processes of the countries in the Balkan region. (ANSA)