Relations with Pristina should not stop EU path
Prime Minister Ivica Dacic thinks it is time for Serbia to move forward in European integration because it has met the key conditions for opening accession talks, and it would be very wrong to stop its European path due to relations with Pristina.
(KosovoCompromiseStuff) Friday, November 30, 2012
In an interview for the latest issue of Cord magazine, Dacic said it was not realistic to end the story about Kosovo without an agreement with Serbia.
"We are ready to discuss everything, and I think that this is a process that should go parallel with negotiations on membership. It would be very wrong to stop Serbia's European path due to relations with Pristina," said the prime minister.
Dacic reiterated that Serbia wants to open accession talks as soon as possible and has worked very hard to make changes within the system, showing that it has the will and the people who are capable and competent to operate to the highest standards.
"We believe that we have fulfilled the political criteria cited in last December's European Council conclusions on Serbia, namely, the 'normalization of relations with Pristina' and therefore, we deserve to get a start date for negotiations, said Dacic.
According to Dacic, the process of dialogue with Pristina has been started at the highest political levels and Serbia is ready to implement the agreement on regional representation and integrated administrative crossings made by the previous government.
"The process of dialogue has started, moving away from the standstill which was to the detriment of Serbia. But the problems should be solved, and we have shown a willingness to do it. We believe that the time has come to move forward in European integration," said the prime minister.
Talking about his upcoming third meeting with Kosovo's Prime Minister Hasim Taci, Dacic said the goal was normalization of relations and discussions on possible solutions to the everyday problems of all citizens of Kosovo, which can be achieved through a focus on the need for cooperation for economic development and infrastructure construction.
"I believe that Kosovo Albanians will then begin to perceive a different potential cooperation with Belgrade and, in time, will show willingness for the historic compromise between two nations," he said.
Commenting on the statement Taci recently made in an interview for the Zagreb daily Jutarnji list, saying that he is tired of
the Serbian politics of Kosovo's secession, Dacic said: "If the question of secession and independence of Kosovo were a done deal, we would have no need for a dialogue. The status of the Serbian community in the north and in the south is a crucial issue for us."
"We are ready to discuss everything, and I think that this is a process that should go parallel with negotiations on membership. It would be very wrong to stop Serbia's European path due to relations with Pristina," said the prime minister.
Dacic reiterated that Serbia wants to open accession talks as soon as possible and has worked very hard to make changes within the system, showing that it has the will and the people who are capable and competent to operate to the highest standards.
"We believe that we have fulfilled the political criteria cited in last December's European Council conclusions on Serbia, namely, the 'normalization of relations with Pristina' and therefore, we deserve to get a start date for negotiations, said Dacic.
According to Dacic, the process of dialogue with Pristina has been started at the highest political levels and Serbia is ready to implement the agreement on regional representation and integrated administrative crossings made by the previous government.
"The process of dialogue has started, moving away from the standstill which was to the detriment of Serbia. But the problems should be solved, and we have shown a willingness to do it. We believe that the time has come to move forward in European integration," said the prime minister.
Talking about his upcoming third meeting with Kosovo's Prime Minister Hasim Taci, Dacic said the goal was normalization of relations and discussions on possible solutions to the everyday problems of all citizens of Kosovo, which can be achieved through a focus on the need for cooperation for economic development and infrastructure construction.
"I believe that Kosovo Albanians will then begin to perceive a different potential cooperation with Belgrade and, in time, will show willingness for the historic compromise between two nations," he said.
Commenting on the statement Taci recently made in an interview for the Zagreb daily Jutarnji list, saying that he is tired of
the Serbian politics of Kosovo's secession, Dacic said: "If the question of secession and independence of Kosovo were a done deal, we would have no need for a dialogue. The status of the Serbian community in the north and in the south is a crucial issue for us."
