Commenting on the decision to shut down the Division for International Development (DFID) in Serbia and stop providing direct aid, the British Embassy in Belgrade said that this decision had been planned for years.

The embassy said in a statement that this will enable the distribution of aid to countries with lower income, where this help will contribute the most.

Now, Serbia is among the countries with medium income and this type of direct aid is no longer needed, the statement read.

The embassy recalled that, over the past 11 years, DFID aided the Serbian government with GBP30 million, to work on building the political system, reforming institutions and improving public services.

"However, we emphasize that funding will still be coming from Great Britain to Serbia through the project funds of the EU, the World Bank and other multilateral agencies, as well as through the bilateral programs of our Embassy," the statement said.