First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia Ivica Dacic spoke today at the session of the Foreign Affairs Committee of t
In addressing the European parliamentarians, the Serbian Foreign Minister presented the foreign policy priorities of Serbia, the most important of them being EU membership. Minister Dacic spoke about the European Commission’s Progress Report on Serbia, willingness and determination to continue with reforms and meet the set objectives in the process of European integration, as well as on the importance of an early opening of one of the 35 negotiating chapters.

Describing today’s meeting of the EP Foreign Affairs Committee as very successful, Minister Dacic stressed that the EU gave a clear support to the countries of the Western Balkans in
their European integration process. “For us it is important that the focus remains on this issue, and that the European Parliament supports the EU enlargement to the Western Balkans”, Dacic said adding that every Western Balkan country has its own specificities and should be assessed on the basis of meeting the requirements set.
At the meeting, which was also attended by the Foreign Ministers of the Western Balkan countries, Minister Dacic once again underlined that the upcoming OSCE Chairmanship was one of the most important foreign policy tasks that Serbia had so far in an international organization.
In the debate about the Western Balkans, the Serbian Foreign Minister said that he agreed with the position that Vojislav Seselj’s policy should be condemned, but not Serbia, as well. “Serbia has changed. Today it is not the same country as when Seselj left for The Hague”, said the Minister, adding that all problems should be resolved bilaterally.
On the fringes of today’s session in Brussels, Minister Dacic had bilateral meetings with Chairman of the EP Committee on Foreign Affairs Elmar Brok and Chairman of the Group “Friends of Serbia” Victor Bostinaru.