Dačić: EU entry is Serbia's strategic goal

BELGRADE PM-Designate Ivica Dacic promised on Tuesday that the Socialists “will not miss a historic chance to pass a test of maturity”. He thanked President Tomislav Nikolic for entrusting him with the mandate at a celebration marking 22nd anniversary of the Socialists Party of Serbia (SPS) and said that he “will not return it now”. Dacic: EU entry is Serbia's strategic goal The SPS leader also thanked the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) for their proposal to form the parliamentary majority. “There is a question whether we can work together and whether it is in the citizens’ interest. I think it can be done faster, wiser, braver but also smarter,” he explained. “I promise we will be better because we learned from our mistakes. Of course, the government needs to work as a team,” Dacic noted. He underlined that Serbia's strategic goal was to join the EU. “We want Serbia to be a factor in maintaining peace and stability in the region. We want Serbia to be a country in which all citizens will be equal and feel it as their own country,” he underscored. “If this government wants to prove successful, it will have to operate as a team,” Dacic said. He voiced satisfaction about the fact that the SPS was celebrating its 22nd anniversary after the excellent results in the May parliamentary elections. “The SPS is facing new conditions, new scene in social terms, new balance of powers, but, unfortunately, our problems are not new, they are the problems of the state, at the social level, and so the role of the SPS, as the left-wing party of social-democratic orientation is highly important for the entire society,” Dacic explained. He especially praised the SPS’ coalition partners, the Party of United Pensioners of Serbia (PUPS) and United Serbia (JS), adding that it was one of the rare coalitions in Serbia that had stayed the same after two election cycles. Nikolic said that everybody needed to work together in order to get Serbia out of the abyss it was in. He told the participants to take responsibility for the state “in the difficult times”. The president stressed that he had not expected that the Progressives would form the ruling coalition with the SPS but that the fact that it was being done showed that Serbian politicians had become more serious and that they were aware that Serbia’s interests came first. Nikolic called on all the politicians involved in the forming of the ruling coalition to be patient and to put the state interest above interests of their parties. Ivica Dacic and Tomislav Nikolic (Tanjug) B92 Beta Tanjug

Dačić: EU entry is Serbia's strategic goal

The SPS leader also thanked the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) for their proposal to form the parliamentary majority.

“There is a question whether we can work together and whether it is in the citizens’ interest. I think it can be done faster, wiser, braver but also smarter,” he explained.

“I promise we will be better because we learned from our mistakes. Of course, the government needs to work as a team,” Dačić noted.

He underlined that Serbia's strategic goal was to join the EU.

“We want Serbia to be a factor in maintaining peace and stability in the region. We want Serbia to be a country in which all citizens will be equal and feel it as their own country,” he underscored.

“If this government wants to prove successful, it will have to operate as a team,” Dačić said.

He voiced satisfaction about the fact that the SPS was celebrating its 22nd anniversary after the excellent results in the May parliamentary elections.

“The SPS is facing new conditions, new scene in social terms, new balance of powers, but, unfortunately, our problems are not new, they are the problems of the state, at the social level, and so the role of the SPS, as the left-wing party of social-democratic orientation is highly important for the entire society,” Dačić explained.

He especially praised the SPS’ coalition partners, the Party of United Pensioners of Serbia (PUPS) and United Serbia (JS), adding that it was one of the rare coalitions in Serbia that had stayed the same after two election cycles.

Nikolić said that everybody needed to work together in order to get Serbia out of the abyss it was in.

He told the participants to take responsibility for the state “in the difficult times”.

The president stressed that he had not expected that the Progressives would form the ruling coalition with the SPS but that the fact that it was being done showed that Serbian politicians had become more serious and that they were aware that Serbia’s interests came first.

Nikolić called on all the politicians involved in the forming of the ruling coalition to be patient and to put the state interest above interests of their parties.