“Austria supports Serbia’s EU integration”

Austria will continue to support Serbia's EU integration and it will strongly oppose the EU's Balkan fatigue, Austrian FM Michael Spindelegger stated on Friday During the talks with Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic in Vienna, he said that Serbia had made significant progress on its EU path over the past year, the Austrian Foreign Ministry stated in a release. “Austria supports Serbia’s EU integration” Spindelegger expressed satisfaction over positive developments regarding Serbia's EU accession, and pointed out that there were certain areas in which Serbia needed to show its uncompromising wish for reforms. The release reminds that late in October 2010, EU foreign ministers gave a green light to Serbia regarding the forwarding of its membership application. During the meeting with Jeremic, Spindelegger repeated that there were still some fields in which Serbia needed to prove itself, such as cooperation with the Hague Tribunal and especially the extradition of the two Hague indictees Goran Hadzic and Ratko Mladic. “Also, when it comes to the sensitive international issue of human rights we wish to see Serbia positioned on the EU side more often,” the Austrian foreign minister said. As for the Kosovo issue, he welcomed Serbia's principled readiness to conduct a dialogue, although it could not start yet due to Kosovo's current internal political situation. “The sooner the talks start, the sooner tangible results will be achieved,” Spindelegger pointed out and added that the EU was willing to be a mediator in the dialogue. He underscored the positive role Serbia had in the process of regional reconciliation and the increasing importance of regional cooperative mechanisms. “This will be the year of regional cooperation in which we will cooperate with our partners on projects covering the Adriatic, the Danube and the Black Sea,” Spindelegger concluded.

“Austria supports Serbia’s EU integration”

Spindelegger expressed satisfaction over positive developments regarding Serbia's EU accession, and pointed out that there were certain areas in which Serbia needed to show its uncompromising wish for reforms.

The release reminds that late in October 2010, EU foreign ministers gave a green light to Serbia regarding the forwarding of its membership application.

During the meeting with Jeremić, Spindelegger repeated that there were still some fields in which Serbia needed to prove itself, such as cooperation with the Hague Tribunal and especially the extradition of the two Hague indictees Goran Hadžić and Ratko Mladić.

“Also, when it comes to the sensitive international issue of human rights we wish to see Serbia positioned on the EU side more often,” the Austrian foreign minister said.

As for the Kosovo issue, he welcomed Serbia's principled readiness to conduct a dialogue, although it could not start yet due to Kosovo's current internal political situation.

“The sooner the talks start, the sooner tangible results will be achieved,” Spindelegger pointed out and added that the EU was willing to be a mediator in the dialogue.

He underscored the positive role Serbia had in the process of regional reconciliation and the increasing importance of regional cooperative mechanisms.

“This will be the year of regional cooperation in which we will cooperate with our partners on projects covering the Adriatic, the Danube and the Black Sea,” Spindelegger concluded.