Vučić hosted Pahor: "Link between energy situation and other problems crucial" VIDEO

Vučić hosted Pahor: "Link between energy situation and other problems crucial" VIDEO

"What I would say is that the key question, the question of all questions, is the connection between the energy situation and the problems that may arise in the region. Accordingly, we discussed how and with what readiness the country welcomes the upcoming winter, what we can do to help each other".

He pointed out that this year we will exceed 2 billion euros in trade and that our bilateral relations are good.

"We discussed all important regional issues. Of course, we have different views on the status issue of Kosovo and Metohija, but we always look at how to further encourage the European perspective, but also to ensure lasting peace," concluded President Vučić.

He also emphasized that it is necessary to talk to the people regarding the energy situation. "We will have many problems. Anything that can reduce the price of energy is a solution for us. If we have to pay 25-30 million euros a day, it is pointless. We have to talk to the people about what to do. We will deal with that next week," said Vucic. In the end, President Vučić invited Pahor to visit the Wine Fair in Belgrade.

He also commented on the current situation in Kosovo and Metohija, as well as the pressure on Serbia to impose sanctions on Russia.

Address of Pahor

After Vučić, Pahor also addressed the media. He also emphasized the importance of peace and stability in the Western Balkans.

He assessed that there is a possibility for all the leaders of the region to agree on three central issues.

"The first is for Serbia, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Albania to speed up negotiations for joining the EU, for Bosnia and Herzegovina to receive candidate status by the end of the year, and for the EU to fulfill its obligation on visa liberalization," he said.

Pahor said that he supports the Open Balkans initiative and congratulates President Vučić and his colleagues on that, and that "there are not enough such initiatives".

"I came on the eve of the 11th Summit of the Brdo-Brioni initiative to consult with President Vučić on all important issues. Two goals were, and still are, a priority for these 11 years: the European perspective of the Western Balkans, as well as the peace and stability of the Western Balkans", Pahor said.

He also pointed out that, especially at this time of the war in Ukraine, it is important to conduct a dialogue in the region and find compromises despite the different views.

When asked how the EU insists on territorial integrity and sovereignty in the case of Ukraine, while in the case of Serbia it so easily renounced it, he said that he remembers his first visit to Belgrade, when relations, both after the war and the recognition of Kosovo, were bad.

"I came then to normalize those relations and since then I have been hearing similar questions about the reasons why the majority of EU countries recognized Kosovo. When I speak with the president of Serbia, we have different views on it, but as you can see, I persistently come to Serbia as president of Slovenia, but more and more as a friend of Serbia, despite different attitudes," he emphasized.

Pahor said that even today he came as someone who stands behind the support of the territorial integrity of Ukraine and the desire for the war in that country to end, and for peace and security to reign in Europe, knowing that this will not happen so soon.

"There are so many open issues in the Western Balkans, so many dangers that the war in Ukraine will worsen the situation, that despite the different positions, we must conduct a dialogue and find even the smallest compromises," he said. Pahor pointed out that he knows that it is not easy for Serbia, but neither is it for Slovenia, and that he wants us to jointly find ways through dialogue to get through this dangerous period.

"We are trying, it is not easy, but despite different opinions, we must continue," he underlined. Pahor reminded that as a great friend of Belgrade and Pristina, he initiated the initiative to start a dialogue, that the dialogue has started, but that the solution that everyone would like was not reached, and that he is worried that trust has decreased in the meantime.

As a reminder, the summit of the Brdo-Brioni Process, which will be held on September 12 at Brdo near Kranj, will be an opportunity to review the current situation in the Western Balkans and to call on the members and institutions of the European Union to speed up the enlargement process, announced Pahor's cabinet.