Italian FM: Serbia fully cooperating with Hague

Italy believes that Serbia is fully cooperating with the Hague Tribunal, Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said in Belgrade yesterday. After meeting with Serbian and Romanian counterparts Vuk Jeremic and Cristian Diaconescu, he said that visa liberalization should become a reality for Serbian citizens by the end of the year. Italian FM: Serbia fully cooperating with Hague Frattini said that Italy would put its view on Serbia’s cooperation on the table at the meeting of EU foreign ministers in June. Italy and Romania stand for accelerating the process of Serbia's European integration and for liberalizing the visa regime by the end of the year, the two countries' foreign ministers said. A joint statement issued after the foreign ministers of Italy, Romania and Serbia met at the Palace Serbia stressed that it was necessary for the interim agreement between Serbia and the European Union to come into effect immediately, while the stabilization and association deal should be implemented with no further delays by the end of June. The statement also read that the EU should guarantee Serbia's candidate status as soon as possible. Frattini told journalists after the meeting that it was unacceptable for Serbia to remain outside European integrations and added that it was in everyone's interest for the country to become a part of the EU as soon as possible. Our messages are very clear. Firstly, the process of Serbia's integration into European institutions should be accelerated. Secondly, the liberalization of the visa regime should be realized by the end of the year, and thirdly, we want the region of the Western Balkans to be fully integrated in European institutions, he said. Diaconescu said it was important for Serbia to enter the EU because Belgrade shared the vision of cooperation of the other members within the 27-nation bloc. Diaconescu stressed that cooperation in national security in the region and outside it was very beneficial for Europe as a whole. Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic voiced satisfaction at Romania and Italy's strong support to Serbia's bid to join the EU and thanked his counterparts because they would advocate abolishing visas for Serbian citizens at a conference to be held in Brussels, on June 15. "We also discussed matters we disagree on, that is, the issue of Kosovo's proclamation of independence. We agreed that this issue must not stop us on the road to EU membership," Jeremic stated. Serbia will continue the European integration process with all its might in order to achieve its ultimate goal - membership in the European Union, President Boris Tadic stated on Monday in Belgrade. Opening a meeting between the foreign ministers of Italy, Romania and Serbia in Palace Serbia, Tadic said he was confident that Serbia would remain a key factor of stability in the region, as well as a leader of administrative reforms and in the fight against organized crime. Speaking on the abolishing of visas for EU countries, Tadic said that it was difficult for citizens of Serbia and other Western Balkan countries, 20 years after the introduction of democratic systems, to understand that they still required visas to travel to EU countries. The Serbian president underlined that in Serbia, as well as in the region, there was a need for reforms in its system of values. Because of that, he added, cooperation with the Hague tribunal should be interpreted as a wish to build confidence with European partners and to change that system of values. Tadic said that cooperation with the Hague tribunal was not only an obligation, but also a requirement for making change to the system of values. The president pointed out that the economic crisis was one of the greatest challenges that the countries of both the region and the EU were facing. Tadic appealed that everything be done in order that the crisis not turn into a crisis of institutions and values, because of which cooperation between the region and the EU was very important, particularly in the areas of energy and infrastructure. Frattini, Jeremic, Dionescu (Beta)

Italian FM: Serbia fully cooperating with Hague

Frattini said that Italy would put its view on Serbia’s cooperation on the table at the meeting of EU foreign ministers in June.

Italy and Romania stand for accelerating the process of Serbia's European integration and for liberalizing the visa regime by the end of the year, the two countries' foreign ministers said.

A joint statement issued after the foreign ministers of Italy, Romania and Serbia met at the Palace Serbia stressed that it was necessary for the interim agreement between Serbia and the European Union to come into effect immediately, while the stabilization and association deal should be implemented with no further delays by the end of June. The statement also read that the EU should guarantee Serbia's candidate status as soon as possible.

Frattini told journalists after the meeting that it was unacceptable for Serbia to remain outside European integrations and added that it was in everyone's interest for the country to become a part of the EU as soon as possible.

Our messages are very clear. Firstly, the process of Serbia's integration into European institutions should be accelerated. Secondly, the liberalization of the visa regime should be realized by the end of the year, and thirdly, we want the region of the Western Balkans to be fully integrated in European institutions, he said.

Diaconescu said it was important for Serbia to enter the EU because Belgrade shared the vision of cooperation of the other members within the 27-nation bloc.

Diaconescu stressed that cooperation in national security in the region and outside it was very beneficial for Europe as a whole.

Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremić voiced satisfaction at Romania and Italy's strong support to Serbia's bid to join the EU and thanked his counterparts because they would advocate abolishing visas for Serbian citizens at a conference to be held in Brussels, on June 15.

"We also discussed matters we disagree on, that is, the issue of Kosovo's proclamation of independence. We agreed that this issue must not stop us on the road to EU membership," Jeremić stated.

Serbia will continue the European integration process with all its might in order to achieve its ultimate goal - membership in the European Union, President Boris Tadić stated on Monday in Belgrade.

Opening a meeting between the foreign ministers of Italy, Romania and Serbia in Palace Serbia, Tadić said he was confident that Serbia would remain a key factor of stability in the region, as well as a leader of administrative reforms and in the fight against organized crime.

Speaking on the abolishing of visas for EU countries, Tadić said that it was difficult for citizens of Serbia and other Western Balkan countries, 20 years after the introduction of democratic systems, to understand that they still required visas to travel to EU countries.

The Serbian president underlined that in Serbia, as well as in the region, there was a need for reforms in its system of values. Because of that, he added, cooperation with the Hague tribunal should be interpreted as a wish to build confidence with European partners and to change that system of values.

Tadić said that cooperation with the Hague tribunal was not only an obligation, but also a requirement for making change to the system of values.

The president pointed out that the economic crisis was one of the greatest challenges that the countries of both the region and the EU were facing.

Tadić appealed that everything be done in order that the crisis not turn into a crisis of institutions and values, because of which cooperation between the region and the EU was very important, particularly in the areas of energy and infrastructure.