Serbia wants to become part of the EU and all the requirements are well-known. It will be not easy to fulfill them, but it will be in the best interest of the state and citizens, said Serbian Deputy PM Aleksandar Vučić after talks with a German Foreign Ministry official, Nikolaus Graf Lambsdorff, in Belgrade. More from Sandra Pekić.
Vučić said Serbia wanted to belong to the family of European nations and that it also wanted the best relations with Germany, as the strongest EU member-state. Serbia will also resolutely fight corruption and organized crime, he added and said that Serbia expected the issue of recognition of Kosovo not to be launched as a prerequisite for Serbia’s EU integrations. He said Serbia would comply with all the agreements reached in Brussels and added that in the weeks to come efforts would be made at reaching a national consensus on the issue of Kosmet. Vučić said he was aware of the fact that in the dialogue with Pristina many decisions would be difficult for Belgrade and that some compromise would have to be made. He said he had asked Berlin to do everything in their power in order that Pristina as well and not Belgrade only should make compromises.
Nikolaus Graf Lambsdorff said Germany supported the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue. He said Berlin hoped for a result in the dialogue required for progress of Serbia towards Brussels, which means the achievement of permanent relations of cooperation with Pristina. There are also announcements that in September the dialogue could be led at the highest level, even under the patronage of Catherine Ashton, said Lambsdorff. He added Germany supported the Belgrade-Pristina technical dialogue and that what has been agreed upon so far should be implemented. There will be no further conditioning for admission of Serbia to the EU, except for the well-known criteria set by the Council of Europe, said Lambsdorff, adding he has an impression that the new government is committed to the fulfillment of those conditions.