New govt. key step for Serbia, Swedish FM says

Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt believes that the forming of a new government will be a key step for Serbia. He added that things were more complex in Serbia following the unexpected results of the presidential election. New govt. key step for Serbia, Swedish FM says According to Bildt, the formation of a new Serbian government may not happen “so fast”. “After that, it would be necessary that the president, prime minister and other competent authorities create a system that would run smoothly, and act in concert to resolve key national issues, including the relations with the EU, and the issue of Kosovo. And there is a clear connection between these two issues,” Bildt told Belgrade-based weekly Novi magazin. The Swedish official underlined the importance of the implementation of the agreements which were reached during the EU-facilitated talks between Belgrade and Pristina, adding what the “risk facing the region right now is not an explosion, but stagnation”. “The antidote to stagnation is integration. The reason why it is slower that it may have been expected is the nature of the reform process in the region - it is simply slower than we would like it to be,” Bildt explained. He called on all the countries of the region to focus on economic and social challenges and talk about economy, instead of politics. “Economic challenges must dominate the regional political agenda,” Bildt stressed, adding that a rise in the unemployment in Serbia clearly illustrated the depth of economic problems. Carl Bildt Tanjug

New govt. key step for Serbia, Swedish FM says

According to Bildt, the formation of a new Serbian government may not happen “so fast”.

“After that, it would be necessary that the president, prime minister and other competent authorities create a system that would run smoothly, and act in concert to resolve key national issues, including the relations with the EU, and the issue of Kosovo. And there is a clear connection between these two issues,” Bildt told Belgrade-based weekly Novi magazin.

The Swedish official underlined the importance of the implementation of the agreements which were reached during the EU-facilitated talks between Belgrade and Priština, adding what the “risk facing the region right now is not an explosion, but stagnation”.

“The antidote to stagnation is integration. The reason why it is slower that it may have been expected is the nature of the reform process in the region - it is simply slower than we would like it to be,” Bildt explained.

He called on all the countries of the region to focus on economic and social challenges and talk about economy, instead of politics.

“Economic challenges must dominate the regional political agenda,” Bildt stressed, adding that a rise in the unemployment in Serbia clearly illustrated the depth of economic problems.