Deputy PM in London, meets with British officials

Source: Tanjug

LONDON -- First Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Aleksandar Vučić conferred with British Foreign Minister William Hague in London on Wednesday.

(Beta, file)
(Beta, file)

They discussed Serbia's European integration, Kosovo and Metohija, judiciary reform and fight against corruption.

According to a release issued from the deputy prime minister's cabinet, at the beginning of the talks Vučić underscored the importance of creating a system of values in Serbia which would contribute to Serbia's EU accession and a change in the way of thinking.

He stressed "the importance of winning tangible authorities for the association of Serb municipalities in Kosovo and Metohija", said his office, while "at the end of the meeting, the two officials expressed the wish for Serbia and Great Britain to be reliable partners".

The Serbian delegation also includes Serbian Parliament Speaker Nebojša Stefanović.

At the beginning of his two-day visit to Britain on Wednesday, Vučić conferred with members of the EU Committee of the House of Lords in the British parliament who qualified as positive the efforts Serbia invested in the EU integration process.

He informed his hosts about the results Serbia achieved in the fulfilment of conditions for EU accession in the past six months.

Serbia made progress in the negotiations with Priština, judiciary reform, fight against corruption and crime, Vučić said and added that "nobody can deny Serbia's good political will to fulfil all it promised to do".

Chairman of the EU Committee Lord Timothy Boswell underscored that "the general impression in London" was that Serbia made tangible progress as confirmed by reports from Brussels.

Member of the EU Committee Lord Robin Teverson stated that "the integration of the Western Balkans is very important because the stability of the region depends on it", adding that the Western Balkan region is the area Europe "needs to integrate promptly".

According to announcements, Vučić will meet with Defense Minister Philip Hammond, Secretary of State for International Security Strategies Andrew Morrison, Minister for Europe David Lidington and representatives of the country's security services.