Jeremić on visit to Bucharest

Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic has thanked his Romanian counterpart Cristian Diaconescu for Bucharest’s support for Serbia’s EU integration. "We discussed Serbia’s future in the EU and, of course, the question of Kosovo. We highly appreciate the support that Romania is giving us on both these issues,“ Jeremic told a joint press conference with Diaconescu in Bucharest. Jeremic on visit to Bucharest He said that Belgrade wanted Serbia’s EU integration process accelerated, for which, he said, it had Romania’s support. As for Kosovo, he reiterated that “we’ve entered a phase where the International Court of Justice in The Hague is due to give its verdict on Kosovo’s unilateral independence declaration,“ adding that Serbia greatly appreciated Romania’s posture in that respect. Diaconescu assured Jeremic that Bucharest would champion Serbian efforts to join the EU, given the traditionally excellent relations between the two countries. “Romania will be a vocal supporter of Serbian EU membership,“ he stressed. The two ministers stated that there were no open issues on the predicament and rights of the Serb and Romanian minorities in their respective countries. Jeremic said that there were no contentious issues between Belgrade and Bucharest when it came to minorities, while Diaconescu stated that he was “encouraged by the care“ that the Serbian authorities had shown the Romanian community in Timocka Krajina. According to the 2002 Serbian census, around 2,500 Romanians live in the region. The Serbian foreign minister also met with Romanian Senate Speaker Mircea Geoana, who, after the meeting, said that his country supported Serbia’s EU integration, adding that Serbia was the key country in the Western Balkans. “Jeremic’s visit to Bucharest has confirmed Bucharest’s commitment, and that of the region, as well as Europe’s major commitment to the Western Balkans, where Serbia is the key state. At this difficult time for Europe, the economic crisis mustn’t be allowed to stop the Western Balkans on its European path,“ Geoana told a press conference. He added that Jeremic was the first foreign minister to have visited Romania since the election of the new government. Vuk Jeremic (FoNet, archive)

Jeremić on visit to Bucharest

He said that Belgrade wanted Serbia’s EU integration process accelerated, for which, he said, it had Romania’s support.

As for Kosovo, he reiterated that “we’ve entered a phase where the International Court of Justice in The Hague is due to give its verdict on Kosovo’s unilateral independence declaration,“ adding that Serbia greatly appreciated Romania’s posture in that respect.

Diaconescu assured Jeremić that Bucharest would champion Serbian efforts to join the EU, given the traditionally excellent relations between the two countries.

“Romania will be a vocal supporter of Serbian EU membership,“ he stressed.

The two ministers stated that there were no open issues on the predicament and rights of the Serb and Romanian minorities in their respective countries.

Jeremić said that there were no contentious issues between Belgrade and Bucharest when it came to minorities, while Diaconescu stated that he was “encouraged by the care“ that the Serbian authorities had shown the Romanian community in Timočka Krajina.

According to the 2002 Serbian census, around 2,500 Romanians live in the region.

The Serbian foreign minister also met with Romanian Senate Speaker Mircea Geoana, who, after the meeting, said that his country supported Serbia’s EU integration, adding that Serbia was the key country in the Western Balkans.

“Jeremić’s visit to Bucharest has confirmed Bucharest’s commitment, and that of the region, as well as Europe’s major commitment to the Western Balkans, where Serbia is the key state. At this difficult time for Europe, the economic crisis mustn’t be allowed to stop the Western Balkans on its European path,“ Geoana told a press conference.

He added that Jeremić was the first foreign minister to have visited Romania since the election of the new government.