Selaković: Serbia dedicated to peace and stability in the region

17. Jun 2021.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Serbia, Nikola Selaković, said today, after a meeting of foreign ministers participating in the South-East European Cooperation Process, that in the year marking a quarter of a century of the initiative, good neighborly relations, joint action and market unification are needed more than ever.

"The meeting of the SEECP participants was also an opportunity to talk about what are examples of our extremely successful cooperation. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Serbia showed what solidarity and good neighborly relations are. The fact that we donated over 150 thousand doses of vaccines shows how much Serbia is ready to share with others for the common good", said Minister Selaković.

The Minister pointed out that Serbia is committed to European integration and EU membership, but that it remains true to its military neutrality, even though it cooperates with various military organizations.

Selaković pointed out that NATO is an important partner for Serbia, that NATO forces are mostly part of KFOR peacekeeping units in Kosovo and Metohija, and that good communication between President Aleksandar Vučić and Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg is very important.

Also, Selaković said that the dominant attitude and common message of our region is disappointment with Brussels' approach to the Western Balkans and their "closing of the doors".

Answering journalists' questions about the invitation sent by the head of Croatian diplomacy to EU countries that do not recognize the unilaterally declared independence of "Kosovo" to change their position, Selaković pointed out that good neighborly relations are not built in that way and that insulting Serbia will not contribute to strengthening cooperation.

"There are many things that Belgrade and Zagreb need to talk about. There are open questions. If they want to resolve these issues, they cannot do that by insulting us", Selaković said. 

Selaković said that Serbia would remain committed to peace and stability in the region, that it would not react to any provocation, but that it would react to untruths.

The Minister said that the burden of open issues and problems is shared by everyone in the region, that the good side of today's gathering was that they talked openly about problems, but also about what should be good initiatives, such as the "mini Schengen" initiative.

When it comes to B&H, Selaković underlined that the position of Serbia is clear and unambiguous and that it will not change.

He said that by respecting the territorial integrity and the Dayton order, we respect B&H, which consists of two entities and three constituent peoples.

"This is our position that has not changed since the signing of the Dayton Agreement", said Selaković, adding that the "Dayton recipe" enabled B&H to exist and function in a certain way, and that if something needs to be changed, a consensus should be reached between all three constituent peoples and both identities.