Serbia's priorities - EU integration, dialogue with Pristina

Serbia's priorities - EU integration, dialogue with Pristina

The reception was attended by heads of diplomatic missions and international organizations, directors, editors-in-chief of media companies.

He noted that the government's foreign policy priorities are also the further dialogue with Pristina, including the implementation of the agreements reached so far, strengthening relations with neighbors and overall regional cooperation.

Serbia's foreign policy priorities are also strengthening relations with the most important actors of European politics, traditional friends and partners across the world, and ensuring that the diplomatic service contributes to the country's economic recovery and internal reforms, Dacic noted.

“We see our path toward EU membership as a historic chance for modernization and changes, to which the government is truly committed,” he said, underlining that the EU is Serbia's most significant trading and investment partner.

Dacic voiced the hope that Serbia's EU accession talks will soon be opened, noting that the reform process needs to continue in all fields.

According to Dacic, it is encouraging that the EU integration so far showed that Serbia has the necessary administrative capacities, and that it is capable of passing and implementing the EU acquis within a short timeframe, which is recognized by its EU partners.

"In addition to EU membership as our main priority, we want to develop comprehensive, friendly relations and cooperation with all countries, and thus contribute to international peace, stability and prosperity which we all need," the Serbian foreign minister said.

He highlighted that Serbia is committed to developing good neighborly relations and cooperation with all countries in the region, in an effort to strengthen and promote a common European future.

Dacic noted that all political actors in Serbia are working on maximizing the country's participation in international cooperation, which resulted in the evident rise in the country's international credibility, and noted that in mid-December Belgrade hosted the summit of China and Central and Eastern European countries and the Western Balkans Conference.

Dacic said that 2015 will be a year of challenges and great expectations for Serbia's diplomacy, given that it will hold the OSCE chairmanship.

“We will seek to affirm ourselves as a reliable partner, as the country holding the OSCE chairmanship, and contribute as much as we can to resolving the issues of importance for stability and security of the European area and beyond,” Dacic said, noting that the Ukraine crisis will dominate the OSCE agenda this year.