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The Government of the Republic of Serbia

In the service of citizens

Continuation of work on further integration of Serbia, region into EU

Belgrade, 18 November 2021

Minister of Foreign Affairs Nikola Selakovic met today with Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia Emanuele Giaufret and the ambassadors of EU Member States accredited in Serbia.

Selakovic underlined that membership in the EU is an absolute priority of our foreign policy and strategic commitment and added that we are fully dedicated to the reform process and the improvement of all segments of our society.

He assessed that the dynamics of accession negotiations should be in line with our reform efforts, but that it is encouraging that this year's report of the European Commission on Serbia's progress has a more positive tone compared to the previous one.

In that sense, we expect that an intergovernmental conference will be held by the end of the Slovenian presidency of the EU Council, at which two clusters will be opened, Selakovic said.

The Serbian Minister of Foreign Affairs emphasised that the EU is Serbia's most important foreign trade partner, stating that the trade exchange between Serbia and the EU has increased by 52 percent in the last seven years, and the export of Serbian products to the EU by 64 percent, which is a joint result.

He stated that Serbia is fully committed to preserving peace and stability in the region through cooperation and open dialogue, pointing to the "Open Balkans" initiative as a way to connect the region economically.

When it comes to the process of normalisation of relations between Belgrade and Pristina, Selakovic said that our side is fully committed to dialogue, and that we have fulfilled our commitments, but that Pristina persistently avoids fulfilling its own obligations and has not done anything for eight and a half years regarding the establishment of the Community of Serb Municipalities.

The Minister informed the heads of missions about the fight against the pandemic in Serbia, expressing readiness for further cooperation with partners from Europe and the world in the joint fight against the coronavirus.

Giaufret praised the current level of cooperation between the EU and Serbia in the field of common security and defence policy, as well as the important contribution of Serbia to EU missions and operations.

There is broad support in the Foreign Affairs Council for the EU's strong engagement in the region and the region's further involvement in our foreign policy efforts. We had a good exchange of opinions on that matter today and we will work on further integration of Serbia and the region at all levels, concluded Giaufret.