"Serbia's key foreign policy goal EU membership"

"Serbia's key foreign policy goal EU membership"

"Serbia's key foreign policy goal EU membership"

Serbia’s first deputy PM and foreign minister was addressing a meeting of foreign ministers of the South-East Europe Cooperation Process (SEECP) member countries in Bucharest.

On its way to achieving this goal, Serbia has demonstrated determination through both realization of an ambitious reform agenda and a constructive approach in the dialogue with Priština, Dačić said.

Serbia will continue to be fully devoted to the European integration process as they are the best way for achieving security, prosperity and lasting peace in our region, Dačić said.

“Simply put, Serbia is a European country that sees its future in the EU,” said the Serbian foreign minister.

He pointed to a special importance of joint efforts by SEECP members in the positioning of SEE countries in EU institutions and creation of a positive image of the region, and also of holding issues of interest to the region in the focus of European Union’s attention.

In this context, he said, the role of SEECP participants that were already EU member-states was very important, as they could help very much in bringing other countries of the region closer to the European Union, something made evident during the six months of the Greek EU presidency.

Dačić thanked Greece for the efforts in strengthening SEE countries' position.

Serbia is committed to promoting regional cooperation, and the SEECP is especially important here as it has helped expand regional dialogue at all levels and areas.

He also stated that, three years after Serbia’s SEECP chairmanship-in-office, numerous proposals that Serbia as chair actively stood for had come to life in practice.

Among them was Serbia’s initiating discussions to establish a SEECP Parliamentary Assembly modeled on the Parliamentary Assemblies of the Council of Europe and of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, he said.

Serbia greatly values the role of the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) in the promotion of regional interests, stressed Dačić, who also addressed the RCC Annual Meeting held in Bucharest on Thursday.

Dačić thanked current SEECP chair-in-office Romania for launching a public appeal for aid to flood-hit regions in Serbia and wished every success to Albania, which is set to succeed Romania as chair of the SEECP.

On the fringes of the conference, Dačić met with Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta, who once again underlined his country's strong commitment to supporting Serbia's EU integration and pledged to provide all the necessary assistance to Serbia on that path.

In the course of Dačić's meeting with Moldovan Foreign Minister Natalia Gherman, an agreement was signed between the governments of Serbia and Moldova on cooperation and mutual assistance in customs issues, and the two ministers agreed for the visa regime between their countries to be lifted, the Serbian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.