A message from the President of Serbia

The letter stated;

In my position of President of the Republic of Serbia I should like to express my appreciation of the fact that our country will be hosting this year's edition of the world's biggest music competition - the 2008 Eurovision Song Contest. Thereby I'd like to invite all delegations, all participants and all theg uests to come, this May, to Belgrade and get to know our capital, our country and our people.

In keeping the Eurovision Song Contest tradition of being a meeting of people, countries, customs and cultures from the entire continent, completely void of any political content, I'd like to stress that Serbia is highly motivated in this moment to be a worthy host for the whole of Europe. As the President of Serbia and a man overseeing the proper functioning of all national systems and institutions, I can most earnestly assure all participants that they will be greeted and hosted warmly, as well as completely secure, and that their stay in Serbia and Belgrade will certainly be a pleasant memory. I expect to have the opportunity to meet with the EBU delegation in Belgrade before May, to greet them and presonally offer them a heartfelt welcome. 

I am aware that the Serbian institutions and RTS as the organizer have done their utmost to secure the necessary financial, technical and organizational means to meet European standards. We shall also institute a simplified regime for entering the country, as we deem it a privilege to host, on this occasion, the participants and tourists from the entire continent. I hereby invite you most cordially to be our guests, firmly convinced that our people will do everything to make your stay in our country pleasant and safe.

President of the Republic of Serbia
Boris Tadić

Following the distribution of the written statement and the commitment of the Serbian President, Director of Eurovision TV Bjorn Erichsen, stressed to the delegation heads that the European Broadcasting Union is fully supporting this event to take place in Belgrade.