Italian ambassador: Serbia natural EU member

Italian ambassador to Serbia Armando Varricchio said that Serbia has a central position in the region, and Italy sees it as a natural EU member. Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini will be visiting Belgrade next week. Varricchio told B92 that Frattini will be talking with Belgrade officials about Serbia’s EU integration process. Italian ambassador: Serbia natural EU member He said that Frattini’s support of Serbia began while he was a European commissioner and started the process of abolishing visas for Serbia. "We see this country as a natural member of the EU. Serbia has a central position in the region and great potential. It cannot be left out,” Varricchio said. Asked how realistic the notion of Serbia becoming an EU member in 2014 ia, as Rome and Athens recently proposed, Varricchio reminded that the year is very symbolic and represents the anniversary of the tragic start of World War I. “I think that a lot of progress should be made around that date. Before it gets there, Serbia must become a candidate and begin membership negotiations. What is most important is that a European perspective exists. After that come negotiations on the concrete date for when that will be possible,” he said. He also announced that Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi will also be visiting Serbia soon. “This will be a very important visit, Berlusconi’s first visit to Serbia as the prime minister of Italy. He will come with a large delegation of government officials. What we started last year in the process of strategic cooperation with the visit of the Serbian delegation to Italy, which was led by President Boris Tadic, will continue. Relations between Serbia and Italy can only develop further,” Varricchio said. He said that Fiat named Kragujevac as one of its priorities in its five-year business plan and added that Serbia will be producing automobiles that would be exported around the world.

Italian ambassador: Serbia natural EU member

He said that Frattini’s support of Serbia began while he was a European commissioner and started the process of abolishing visas for Serbia.

"We see this country as a natural member of the EU. Serbia has a central position in the region and great potential. It cannot be left out,” Varricchio said.

Asked how realistic the notion of Serbia becoming an EU member in 2014 ia, as Rome and Athens recently proposed, Varricchio reminded that the year is very symbolic and represents the anniversary of the tragic start of World War I.

“I think that a lot of progress should be made around that date. Before it gets there, Serbia must become a candidate and begin membership negotiations. What is most important is that a European perspective exists. After that come negotiations on the concrete date for when that will be possible,” he said.

He also announced that Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi will also be visiting Serbia soon.

“This will be a very important visit, Berlusconi’s first visit to Serbia as the prime minister of Italy. He will come with a large delegation of government officials. What we started last year in the process of strategic cooperation with the visit of the Serbian delegation to Italy, which was led by President Boris Tadić, will continue. Relations between Serbia and Italy can only develop further,” Varricchio said.

He said that Fiat named Kragujevac as one of its priorities in its five-year business plan and added that Serbia will be producing automobiles that would be exported around the world.