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

Serbian government will continue to fight for Kosovo-Metohija

Belgrade, 31 January 2008

Serbian Minister for Kosovo-Metohija Slobodan Samardzic said today that the Serbian government will do its utmost to defend the territorial integrity of the country, and to keep Kosovo-Metohija within the borders of Serbia.

Slobodan Samardzic

Speaking at a press conference after the government’s session today, Samardzic said that it was concluded at the session that there are certain countries which want to end the process of determining the status of the province by recognising a declaration of independence by the interim institutions of Kosovo-Metohija.

The Minister said that things are not as certain as they might appear to the public. He added that dates such as February 6 or March 15 which keep appearing in the media when it is expected that a unilateral declaration of independence will be made are incorrect.

He reiterated that Serbia rejects the arrival of an EU mission to Kosovo-Metohija without a Security Council resolution to approve it, and there is no legal basis whatsoever for sending such a mission.

The Minister said that the public in the West is increasingly questioning US statements about recognising the independence of Kosovo-Metohija, giving an article in the Washington Post written by a former US official as an example.

Bozidar Djelic

Serbian Deputy Prime Minster Bozidar Djelic said that a strategy for encouraging a higher fertility rate was adopted at the session today. The strategy recommends several financial measures to achieve a higher birth rate.

He recalled that Serbia has the oldest population in Europe, and the strategy should help increase the birth rate by at least 30%.

He said that the government adopted today the Bill on the protection of personal data allowing for more efifcient protection of the country’s security as well as citizens’ privacy, noting that this is a crucial law regulating the access of state bodies to data concerning citizens as well as communication among state bodies.

In charge of implementing this legislation will be a trustee for information of public importance, Djelic explained and stressed that the document is part of a set of laws necessary for Serbia to appear on the White Schengen List and is of great importance for Serbia’s full cooperation with international organisations in charge of fighting crime.

He also noted that the govermnent adopted the Information on property relations between Jat Airways, the Nikola Tesla Airport, Jat Tehnika and Air Control Agency so that privatisation of these public companies could begin.

Samardzic said that the government expects to receive the text of the political agreeement with the EU which will be carefully examined, analysed, and following which the government will draft its own text.

Djelic said that in accordance with conclusions from the meeting in Brussels, the novelty is that all EU countries consented to Serbia becoming an EU country.

The Deputy Prime Minister noted that another element of the agreement is the position of all Schengen countries that the European Commission should promote dialogue with Serbia on visa abolition. He expects that Serbian citizens will be able travel to the EU without visas beginning in 2009.

If the offered agreement provides these two elements, then it is very important news and a step forward for Serbia, Djelic said.

Samardzic said that the government also discussed the forthcoming presidential election as part of an examination of a report on the situation related to Kosovo-Metohija and the EU.