WASHINGTON - Head of the Serbian People's Party (SNP), which has no seats in the parliament, Nenad Popovic has met in Washington with head of US State Department office for Southern and Central Europe Steven Banks.

Popovic stated at the meeting that Serbia had invested over USD 17 billion in its southern province of Kosovo in the past 50 years, adding that property ownership was a universal and undisputed right in every civilised country, according to a statement from the SNP.

The US was built on this principle and that is why Washington is the best place to start a debate about respecting Serbia's property rights in Kosovo, he noted.

Serbia's property needs to be included urgently in all international talks that are related to Kosovo, he stressed.

When it comes to the relations between Serbia and the US, he underscored that the SNP would advocate closer cooperation between the two countries in all areas, especially economy.

Economy is key to reaching a sustainable solution for the stability of the entire Balkans, he emphasised.

Banks agreed that economy was key for the stability of Serbia and the entire region, stressing also the importance of continuing Serbia's economic and institutional reforms, the statement says.