First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ivica Dacic said today on RTS morning news programme that there were no further pressures on Serbia to join sanctions against Russia after the Malaysian plane had crashed over Ukraine. Serbia defended Ukraine's territorial integrity, but it could not defend it any more than it would defend its own territorial integrity, indicated Dacic.

Minister Dacic said that no other requests were made for Serbia to take either side. According to him, there had been earlier requests that Serbia should comply with the negotiating Chapter 31, imposing an obligation of progressive alignment with the EU Common Foreign and Defence Policy before the closing of the negotiating chapters.

"All these years there has been a growing trend in this respect: last year, for instance, the percentage of alignment was 90%, bearing in mind all that went on during the caretaker Government, and in the first three months of this year that percentage dropped, but ever since the new Government took office on 27 April and when I became the Foreign Minister, Serbia has aligned itself with EU decisions in 10 cases, and in four cases it failed to do so", Dacic stated.

All the four cases in question were related to Ukraine, said Dacic adding that Ukraine was not in dispute but the provisions of the resolutions concerning sanctions against Ukraine.

"Serbia will increasingly direct its foreign policy towards alignment, taking into account its national and state interests, like the other countries do, except that their positions differ compared to Serbia's. They adjust their differing views as they adopt decisions, whereas Serbia is not part of their decision-making process and thus there has been talk of late whether we should or should not do so, but actually we don't have much argument with the EU over this issue", Dacic pointed out.

The Foreign Minister said that Serbia was a sovereign country looking after its national and state interests and that its position was fully clear.

As he said, Serbia was against violation of the territorial integrity of any UN Member State.

"The notion of a country is interpreted and understood differently even by those criticizing Serbia today for not being supportive of more sanctions against Russia, because this notion may be understood by some as implying Kosovo as well. Serbia is defending the territorial integrity of Ukraine but it cannot defend it more than it is defending its own integrity, and Western countries have demonstrably failed in that respect", Dacic said.

No country which had violated our territorial integrity had the right to give lessons to Serbia, as we had expected all UN members to raise their voice when Serbia's territorial integrity was at stake, Dacic stated.

"Therefore, I wish to say that our national and state interest is to develop good relations with Russia, China and other countries", stressed the Minister.

According to him, our economic and national interest is to build the South Stream pipeline. Officials of the Ukrainian government had been very explicit in Parliament that they were against the South Stream project because Ukraine would lose if it was built, said Dacic.

"Serbia will lose because someone will stop the gas from flowing into it by the only route going through it. Serbia will earn around 500 million euro in transit fees annually without mentioning our engineering firms which will be involved in the project development", Dacic explained.

We know our way forward, but that way is also full of examples when it comes to the downing of the Malaysian Airlines plane, says Dacic adding that Serbia strongly condemns it and calls for the launching of an independent investigation, and that whoever committed the act must face the harshest sanctions and consequences for it.

"On the other hand, we as friends of Russia cannot support either any reprehensive action. No matter whether Russia is suspected based on evidence or no evidence, since the finger of blame has been mainly pointed to the pro-Russian activists, Serbia insists on an independent investigation and that it should not be drawn into conflict, but that it should rather be a factor of conflict resolution next year when it assumes the OSCE Chairmanship-in-Office", pointed out Dacic.

Insofar as the European path, Serbia wishes to be a partner to the European Union, says Dacic.

Speaking about the SPS Congress and elections within his Party, which he earlier announced for 14 December as the most likely date, Dacic claimed that he encouraged his party colleagues to stand if they had a platform they could run on.

"I would wish I had a contender with a different party programme and policy... If you have a programme that differs, please present your candidature, and if not, then accept my programme", indicated Dacic adding that party elections would be democratic.

Incidentally, the SPS Main Committee will also discuss today the work done by the Serbian Government.

"I think we have achieved the results justifying our being in power", Dacic said indicating that no crisis shook the Government that could compromise its work.