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The Government of the Republic of Serbia

In the service of citizens

EU membership top foreign policy priority

Belgrade, 15 December 2008

Serbian Minister of Foreign Affairs Vuk Jeremic said that EU membership and inclusion in the Schengen “white list” will be Serbia’s top foreign policy priorities over the coming years.

Author: Tanjug

In an interview with the Tanjug news agency, Jeremic said that these are realistic goals and they are in the interest of Serbia, the rest of the region and Europe.

Our citizens must feel that they are citizens of Europe. It is a great tragedy that because of past circumstances they feel isolated to this day, but I am convinced that things will change very soon. We will do everything that is in our power to make this happen, said Jeremic.

Speaking about the Netherlands’ opposition to unblocking the transitional trade agreement with Serbia, Jeremic said that Serbia will make every effort to change the situation so that there is consensus within the EU regarding this issue.

I believe that it is in the EU’s interest that the Western Balkans continues the integration process, but, it is far more important that every effort is made to build a truly European society in Serbia and a system that is governed by European laws, so that Serbian citizens feel that they are like all other EU citizens, which means that they must have full freedom of movement, said the Foreign Minister.

He said that Serbia is doing everything it can in this respect and will continue to make efforts to unblock the process of EU integration.

We have also met the condition of full cooperation with the Hague tribunal and we are ready for a European future, said Jeremic.

Speaking about cooperation between Serbia and NATO, Jeremic said that membership of any international security organisation is not a formally defined condition for EU accession.

He said that it is expected that Serbia will very soon be officially represented at NATO headquarters in Brussels, adding that Serbian people will have the last word on the issue of Serbia’s membership of NATO by referendum.

He said that Serbia will closely cooperate with EU countries and have very close relations with Russia in the future.

In my opinion bilateral relations with Russia will be most important for Serbia over the next few decades. EU membership is our strategic goal and our most important bilateral relations are with Russia. I think that the two are not mutually exclusive, said Jeremic, adding that Russia fully supports Serbia’s EU integration.

Commenting on Serbia’s decision not to vote for the UN resolution condemning Iran for human rights violations, Jeremic said that human rights protection is one of the most important challenges faced by the international community in the 21st century, adding that Serbia must be careful regarding its foreign policy resources.

Iran is one of Serbia’s strongest supporters within the Organization of the Islamic Conference concerning the Kosovo issue. Iran voted for Serbia in the UN General Assembly when Serbia proposed a resolution seeking an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) about the legality of Kosovo’s unilateral declaration of independence. Iran is making extraordinary efforts to limit the number of Islamic countries that might recognise Kosovo. In that respect, we are cooperating very closely with Iran, said Jeremic.

The Foreign Minister said that he expects that the ICJ will give its opinion concerning Kosovo’s independence in 2010.

He said that the ICJ’s decision will be in line with preservation of Serbia’s constitutional order.

I think that this is a major contribution by Serbia to international relations and to the preservation of international law in the 21st century. I expect that a large number of countries will use their sovereign right and submit their opinion to the ICJ, said Jeremic.

He pointed to the fact that this is the first time ever that the problem of secession has been brought before the ICJ, saying that the court’s decision on the matter will set a precedent.

Any future issues related to secession brought before the ICJ will refer to the decision made regarding Kosovo, said Jeremic.

He said that the first hearing in this case will be held in April 2009 and the second one is scheduled to take place in December next year.

He stressed that Serbia has a good legal team and includes people who represented the country in the suit filed by Bosnia-Herzegovina, as well as prominent international experts.

Speaking about the genocide suit against Croatia announced recently, Jeremic said that Serbia has one year to formulate charges.

We had no other choice but to take this step. Serbia tried everything to avoid taking this matter to court. We believed that in the interest of achieving common goals and building a joint European future it would be better not to go to court, but since Croatia filed suit against us we had no other choice, said Jeremic.

He said that the Serbian legal team will base its charges on the period between 1941 and 1945 and the crimes committed in the Independent State of Croatia.

We think that it is extremely important to have a clear idea of the events that led to the conflict during the 1990s. We will speak of some of the most horrible crimes ever committed in the history of mankind in the Independent State of Croatia. The charges filed by Croatia are based on a period in the past to show the historical developments leading to the events of the 1990s and Serbia will do the same, said Jeremic.

He said that it would perhaps be better to view this problem objectively, in an international context and in a legal light.

Regardless, sincere efforts must be made to improve relations between Serbia and Croatia. We should cooperate over our economies and in all other spheres. Technological, cultural, scientific and other forms of cooperation must not be linked to these problems from the past and we must remain focused on our joint future in the EU, said Jeremic.