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The Government of the Republic of Serbia

In the service of citizens

EU membership for lasting regional peace

Belgrade/Bucharest, 3 April 2008

Serbian Minister of Foreign Affairs Vuk Jeremic said today in Bucharest that the Western Balkans will be a troubled region for as long as all countries in the region are non EU members.

Speaking at a meeting of the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council (EAPC) committee, Jeremic said that until the entire region becomes part of the EU with its values and shared sovereignty, instead of fighting for it, the Western Balkans will continue to have problems.

He said that lasting peace must be established in the Balkans and sources of potential conflicts must be rooted out by changing the strategic framework so that borders become less significant, adding that the region is at a key turning point where the past and the future overlap.

In order to respond to the global challenges of the 21st century, we must attend to regional challenges and do all that is necessary in order to resolve differences on a local level, said Jeremic. He added that Serbia is willing to act firmly, in agreement with its partners.

According to Jeremic, Serbia is ready to make efforts in order to show its fundamental conviction that it is important to promote joint values, mutual understanding, reconciliation and the equal right of all countries to sovereignty.

This is why we joined the Partnership for Peace programme, it is for this purpose that we actively take part in the numerous forums of the EAPC and make constructive contributions to regional institutions dedicated to security issues, said Jeremic.

He said that Serbia wishes to join and actively participate in dialogue which could prevent any form of violence in the future and further uncontrolled events from taking place in Kosovo-Metohija, which is the stance that Serbia also conveyed to the UN and EU.

The Minister said that as a result of armed conflicts the region still needs an international peace force and recalled that the largest numbers of peace-keeping troops are in Kosovo-Metohija.

He said that more than 15,000 troops were deployed to the province and stressed that Serbia expects them to stay status-neutral, ensure peace and order, exert more efforts to deal with one of the most developed organised crime networks in Europe, and most importantly to protect Serbs in Kosovo.

According to Jeremic, Serbs in Kosovo are one of the most vulnerable communities in the world and they must be protected from falling victim to political battles and international confrontations.

He reiterated that the unilateral declaration of independence by Kosovo-Metohija has set a dangerous precedent which gives legitimacy to forceful secession from internationally recognised, sovereign countries.

Serbia’s stance is that the unilateral declaration of independence by Kosovo is null and void and Serbia will continue diplomatic and political efforts to protect its sovereignty and territorial integrity, said the Foreign Minister.