Reynders reminds Serbia of Kosovo prerequisite

Belgium and the EU “have to be sure that Belgrade can solve its problems with Priština”, Belgian foreign minister Didier Reynders said during a meeting in Belgrade yesterday with Serbia’s first deputy PM, Aleksandar Vučić. Vučić told Reynders that Serbia was prepared to fulfil the requirements in the conclusions by the European Council and continue dialogue with Kosovo to find a long-term and applicable solution, but that it would “never fade away”. Relations between the two are good, but there is room for improvement through agreements and better cooperation between the parliaments, Vučić’s office quoted him as saying in a statement. “We have to focus on modernising the country and building a future, as well as on creating a good environment for foreign investments. It is important to improve economic cooperation and increase the presence of Belgian companies on the Serbian market,” Vučić said.

Earlier in the day, Reynders met Suzana Grubješić, Serbia’s deputy prime minister in charge of European integration, and the two agreed that the dialogue with Priština needed to continue. Reynders said his country supported the resumption of talks as well as Serbia’s EU candidacy. Grubješić told him about the Serbian government’s unanimous position that the EU-facilitated dialogue between Belgrade and Priština should resume urgently to reach a solution which is implementable and sustainable in the long term and guarantees the human rights, security and survival of Serbs living in Kosovo. She stressed that Serbia had showed it was prepared to compromise and determined to reach a comprehensive agreement. “Serbia and its citizens deserve a chance to be transformed into a modern and well-organised state through the accession talks process, to establish the rule of law, strengthen our economy and improve our tragic social situation and living standards,” she said.

(Tanjug)