Keepin touch

Whether you have a question, comment, suggestion or any problem in the purview of the government, send us your message and we will try to respond as soon as possible. If your problem is not in our purview, we will forward your message to the relevant institution.

The Government of the Republic of Serbia

In the service of citizens

Ukraine supports peaceful solution for Kosovo-Metohija’s future status

Kiev, 22 October 2007

Serbian Minister of Defence Dragan Sutanovac and Ukrainian Minister of Defence Anatoliy Grytsenko agreed today in Kiev that the solution to the status of Kosovo-Metohija must imply an outcome satisfactory to both sides in the negotiations.

Sutanovac met with Grytsenko as part of the regional initiative of the South-Eastern Europe Defence Ministerial (SEDM) in Kiev. Following the meeting he briefed the press on the stance of his counterpart, which is that Ukraine is in favour of a final solution to the province’s status which would satisfy both Belgrade and Pristina.

They also agreed at the meeting that it is unlikely that the final solution to the southern Serbian province’s status will be reached by year’s end, said Sutanovac and added that Ukraine supports the idea that the solution should be to the benefit of both sides, as well as that every possible way of reaching a peaceful solution should be considered.

Sutanovac said he told his Ukrainian counterpart that the outcome of the talks cannot be a unique case and that a unilateral declaration of independence will cause other similar demands to be heard in other countries.

The SEDM initiative was formed in 1996 and its members are Albania, Bulgaria, Greece, Italy, Macedonia, Romania, the USA, Slovenia, Turkey, Ukraine and Croatia.

Since last year Serbia has been taking part in the initiative as an observer and at today’s meeting the Serbian delegation will send a letter of intent stating its wish to become a full member of the initiative.

The basic goal of the initiative is to strengthen regional cooperation regarding defence and safety in the region by way of intensifying political and military cooperation. One of the most successful activities within the SEDM initiative is establishing the Multinational Peace Force for South-Eastern Europe (MPFSEE).

The Serbian Defence Minister began the two-day visit to Ukraine today where he will have several bilateral meetings, apart from participating in the ministerial meeting of Southeast European defence ministers which Ukrainian President Victor Yushchenko will open.

During the visit to Ukraine, representatives of the Serbian defence ministry met yesterday with Italian Deputy Defence Minister Lorenzo Forzieri and the commander of NATO forces Admiral Harry Urlich.

The delegation will today meet with Bosnia-Herzegovina Minister of Defence Selmo Cikotic and the two-day visit will conclude with a meeting with Turkish Defence Minister Vecdi Gönül.