First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia Ivica Dacic, held the final press conference in 2014, at the Ministry of the Foreign Affairs today, on which occasion he summarized December’s activities and referred to the results achieved by the Ministry of the Foreign Affairs since he took office.

In the previous period the Ministry of the Foreign Affairs was fully engaged in reaching foreign policy goals of the Republic of Serbia – faster pace of EU integration, promotion of cooperation with countries in the region, the most influential countries and other partners in the international community, and also maintaining the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the country.
Minister Dacic underlined that in the past year he had met with more than 50 Ministers of Foreign Affairs, both in bilateral visits and on the sidelines of international conferences, and also that, since the formation of the new Government, he had the pleasure of extending his hospitality to fellow Foreign Affairs Ministers and other high-ranking officials from more than 30 countries.
The Head of Serbian diplomacy emphasized that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was actively involved in the preparation of the Third Meeting of Heads of Government of China and Central and Eastern European Countries in Belgrade, the results of which confirmed the political importance of Serbia in the region and contributed to the strengthening of its international position.
Ministar Dacic underlined the importance of the visit of Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang, on which occasion he also had talks with his Chinese counterpart, Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi, who invited him to visit China next year.
Speaking about Serbia’s incoming OSCE Chairmanship, the Head of Serbian diplomacy recalled that he had presented the priorities of Serbia’s 2015 Chairmanship of this Organization to the OSCE Permanent Council in Vienna, on 15 July, and referred to his intensive diplomatic activity in the same context, at the OSCE Ministerial Council, held at the beginning of December in Basel. In his capacity as the incoming OSCE Chairman-in-Office, between 18 and 23 December, Minister Dacic also visited France, Russia and Ukraine.
With regard to his bilateral visits made in December, Minister Dacic underscored his visit to Latvia and its special importance owing to the fact that this country is to assume EU Presidency in the second half of 2015.
Referring to Serbia’s negotiation process with the EU, Dacic recalled that the European Council, at the meeting of 19 December in Brussels, in its Conclusions welcomed the commencement of the negotiation process, as well as the continuation of the screening process.
Dacic said that the Government of the Republic of Serbia, on proposal of the Ministry of the Foreign Affairs, enacted the IPAP (Serbia - NATO Individual Partnership Action Plan), a document expected to raise the political dialogue to a higher level, upon its adoption at NATO’s North Atlantic Council. In addition, the Minister
emphasized that Serbia, at a meeting held on 16 December, at NATO Headquarters in Brussels, succeeded Macedonia as Chair of the South East Europe Security Steering Group (SEEGROUP) in 2015.
The Ministry of Foreign Affair this year continued to engage in providing consular protection to its citizens, especially in countries like Iraq, Libya and Ukraine, where a deterioration in the security situation was noted.
In respect of the activities planned for early next year, Minister Dacic announced that they would be, to a large extent, related to the beginning of Serbia’s OSCE Chairmanship. The Serbian Head of Diplomacy will chair the OSCE Permanent Council in Vienna, on 15 January, which will mark the official start of Serbia’s Chairmanship. The Minister also announced the possibility of a trilateral meeting at Foreign Ministers’ level with Italy and Albania in January.