Tadić calls for reconciliation

President Boris Tadic concluded his visit to Germany today with the message that he will continue working to restore friendly relations in the region. “The reconciliation of people living on the territory of the former Yugoslavia is a prerequisite for development and for a new, valuable step forward,“ Tadic told journalists at the end of his visit to Berlin. Tadic calls for reconciliation During his stay, he conferred with the country's top officials and received the prestigious Quadriga award handed to prominent figures for their vision, courage and political determination. He pointed out that in spite of their differences, people in the region shared a common quality as regards their identity, and underlined that everyone in the Balkans had to accept their share of the blame. “Everyone should apologize to everyone else,“ Tadic said, stressing that reconciliation could not merely be functional. According to the president, this meant that the idea was not that “reconciliation should be a prerequisite for economic cooperation, for example, but rather a duty which we have towards our children and ourselves, and which will constitute a valuable step forward.“ “The prerequisite for reconciliation is not just to say that you are sorry for what happened, but rather to understand why something happened, Tadic noted. He said that he would always work towards reconciliation between the Balkan nations, stating that he viewed himself neither as a hegemonist, nor “Yugo-nostalgic“. “I would like to hear from Croatia too an unambiguous word of apology,“ said Tadic, surmising that all the countries in the region had a common goal—the EU. In the context of a response to the question of regional reconciliation, the president cited the position the countries in the region could assume on the issue of Kosovo’s unilaterally declared independence. “If any country recognizes Kosovo and, thus, contributes to the division of my country and insults the dignity of my people and calls into question my nation’s identity, as the key institutions of my nation are predominantly the cultural and historical monuments in Kosovo, I will fight for reconciliation,“ he reiterated. On the issue of Montenegro’s position on the province’s independence, Tadic said that Serbia and he, as its president, had a clear “political will for the best possible relations with Montenegro.” However, the president refused to elaborate on Montenegro's activities regarding the country's possible recognition of Kosovo independence. As regards the official talks in Berlin where he spoke to Chancellor Angela Merkel, Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier and President Horst Kohler, he noted that bilateral relations between the two countries were “on the up and up“. Political talks with the German administration, Tadic said, were very substantive and pertained to the situation in the region and bilateral cooperation. “After a blockage that followed Germany’s recognition of Kosovo, things have taken an upward turn. Germany has a good understanding of Serbia’s plans to be an EU member,“ said the president, adding that he had asked Berlin to be one of the key countries supporting Serbia on its EU path. “I advocated closer ties between Germany and Serbian industry, and I think that is strategically important,“ he pointed out. There was also talk of visa abolishment. Tadic pointed out that the Serbian parliament needed to adopt laws leading down that path. “We promised the citizens visa abolishment and we’ll do it, but we have much more left to do than the EU when it comes to visas,“ the president stressed. Boris Tadic receiving the Quadriga award yesterday from Austrian President Heiny Fischer (FoNet)

Tadić calls for reconciliation

During his stay, he conferred with the country's top officials and received the prestigious Quadriga award handed to prominent figures for their vision, courage and political determination.

He pointed out that in spite of their differences, people in the region shared a common quality as regards their identity, and underlined that everyone in the Balkans had to accept their share of the blame.

“Everyone should apologize to everyone else,“ Tadić said, stressing that reconciliation could not merely be functional.

According to the president, this meant that the idea was not that “reconciliation should be a prerequisite for economic cooperation, for example, but rather a duty which we have towards our children and ourselves, and which will constitute a valuable step forward.“

“The prerequisite for reconciliation is not just to say that you are sorry for what happened, but rather to understand why something happened, Tadić noted.

He said that he would always work towards reconciliation between the Balkan nations, stating that he viewed himself neither as a hegemonist, nor “Yugo-nostalgic“.

“I would like to hear from Croatia too an unambiguous word of apology,“ said Tadić, surmising that all the countries in the region had a common goal—the EU.

In the context of a response to the question of regional reconciliation, the president cited the position the countries in the region could assume on the issue of Kosovo’s unilaterally declared independence.

“If any country recognizes Kosovo and, thus, contributes to the division of my country and insults the dignity of my people and calls into question my nation’s identity, as the key institutions of my nation are predominantly the cultural and historical monuments in Kosovo, I will fight for reconciliation,“ he reiterated.

On the issue of Montenegro’s position on the province’s independence, Tadić said that Serbia and he, as its president, had a clear “political will for the best possible relations with Montenegro.”

However, the president refused to elaborate on Montenegro's activities regarding the country's possible recognition of Kosovo independence.

As regards the official talks in Berlin where he spoke to Chancellor Angela Merkel, Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier and President Horst Kohler, he noted that bilateral relations between the two countries were “on the up and up“.

Political talks with the German administration, Tadić said, were very substantive and pertained to the situation in the region and bilateral cooperation.

“After a blockage that followed Germany’s recognition of Kosovo, things have taken an upward turn. Germany has a good understanding of Serbia’s plans to be an EU member,“ said the president, adding that he had asked Berlin to be one of the key countries supporting Serbia on its EU path.

“I advocated closer ties between Germany and Serbian industry, and I think that is strategically important,“ he pointed out.

There was also talk of visa abolishment. Tadić pointed out that the Serbian parliament needed to adopt laws leading down that path.

“We promised the citizens visa abolishment and we’ll do it, but we have much more left to do than the EU when it comes to visas,“ the president stressed.