Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Đurić sees his country as almost ready to join the EU. He is convinced that Serbia “could meet all the formal criteria of the negotiating chapters within a few months.”
Last year, 53 percent agreed on the foreign policy of Serbia and the EU. Before joining, the country must still make “pragmatic decisions that are in our political and economic interests. Even though it may sound contradictory, this is also in the interest of the EU, (…) so that one day we will join the EU not as beggars and a burden to anyone, but as a clearly developed country.”
Process in “artificial deep sleep”
The enlargement process must be “awakened from an artificial deep sleep,” the Serbian foreign minister said. In the past, countries that had weaker political and economic capacities at the time had already joined. Đurić did not specify which states he meant by this. On Tuesday, the EU started accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova.
According to the politician, it is becoming increasingly clear that the Kosovo issue “will be crucial in this process”. “Everything else is much easier to solve.” This means that Kosovo’s independence is not recognized. With the exception of this issue, Serbia is said to have “harmonious political relations” with Austria. But he would like to see even closer economic cooperation, Đurić said. “Austria has been and hopefully will continue to be one of the most sincere supporters of EU enlargement to the Western Balkans.”
Better relations with the US
A foreign policy priority would also be better relations with the US. Serbia wants to remain non-aligned and is committed to neutrality, with cooperation with NATO “strongly developed”.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
