Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dačić is in Strasbourg on the occasion of 20 years of Serbia’s membership in the Council of Europe, where he is using the opportunity to express his opinions on Kosovo and the war in Ukraine.
In the days leading up to the meeting, Dačić considered not attending, expressing his concern that the Council of Europe would be starting the procedure of accepting Kosovo into the organisation.
But, as EURACTIV learned exclusively on Tuesday, Dačić boarded the plane and flew to Strasbourg, where he spoke to members of the media on current issues.
The meeting of the Minister’s Committee of the Council of Europe will not address the topic of Kosovo’s membership in that organisation, Dačić said.
“The fact that anyone is talking about it, as well as visa liberalisation for Kosovo, in the days around the 10th anniversary of signing the Brussels agreement, is an act of hypocrisy and insolence towards Serbia”, Dačić told Serbian Radio-television.
“At this point, it is uncertain whether and when that question will be on the agenda. Some countries, led by Germany, feel that it is an urgent matter. But only when the Serbian Municipalities Association is formed, can there be discussions on other topics,” Dačić said.
It is important for Serbia to uphold the Council of Europe’s standards in Kosovo as well, and Dačić says that he wants to symbolically respect international law.
Dačić also touched on the Russian invasion of Ukraine and called upon “relevant international subjects” to use all possible capacities to stop the war as soon as possible.
“Serbia can tell from bitter experience that political dialogue has no alternative. We call for giving democracy and negotiations a chance. Serbia has always consistently followed the principles of international law, the principles of borders and respecting the territorial integrity of all countries, including Ukraine”, said Dačić.
(EURACTIV.rs I Bojana Zimonjić Jelisavac)
Source: euractiv.com
