Jeremić: I would choose Kosovo

Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic and leader of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) Cedomir Jovanovic squared off last night in an RTS talk show. The two confronted their stands on Monday evening on national television concerning the link between Serbia's EU integration and the unilateral proclamation of Kosovo's independence, and the policy that Serbia should implement regarding the issue. Jeremic: I would choose Kosovo Jeremic was categorical is saying that "if he were to choose between Serbia's EU membership and continuation of fight for Kosovo, he would choose Kosovo", whereas Jovanovic avoided to answer the question although he previously severely criticized Jeremic's stand in view of the issue. He did however say that "no one had ever put that condition before Serbia", and that the country "must change" so that the issue is never raised in the future. “I would never agree to the secession of a part of our territory,” Jeremic said, adding that the official policy of the EU is that such a precondition cannot be set to Serbia given that the unilateral independence has not been recognized by five EU members. Jovanovic reacted to this by saying that “Serbia has already lost Kosovo” to which Jeremic retorted that Serbia “will not lose Kosovo as long as it fights for it”, and that it will lose it "only when it accepts statements such as that uttered by Jovanovic". Jovanovic criticized official Belgrade for "insisting that the whole region has to accept a stand that is acceptable only to Serbia and no one else", and that when it says that Kosovo is not independent, Belgrade "harasses the whole region". Jeremic responded that this is "definitely not the case, since Serbia was not the one to recognize secession of part of territory of any regional state". The foreign minister also said that he believed it was possible to join the EU with unsolved territorial issues, and mentioned Cyprus in this context. That country, he said, became an EU member, "even though for 30 years they were told to give up on a part of their territory, and even though they did not agree to that". "We learned from Cyprus how to fight for Kosovo. Cyprus is a living example," Jeremic said, and added that although the task ahead of Serbia is more difficult, "that does not mean that we should give up".

Jeremić: I would choose Kosovo

Jeremić was categorical is saying that "if he were to choose between Serbia's EU membership and continuation of fight for Kosovo, he would choose Kosovo", whereas Jovanović avoided to answer the question although he previously severely criticized Jeremić's stand in view of the issue.

He did however say that "no one had ever put that condition before Serbia", and that the country "must change" so that the issue is never raised in the future.

“I would never agree to the secession of a part of our territory,” Jeremić said, adding that the official policy of the EU is that such a precondition cannot be set to Serbia given that the unilateral independence has not been recognized by five EU members.

Jovanović reacted to this by saying that “Serbia has already lost Kosovo” to which Jeremić retorted that Serbia “will not lose Kosovo as long as it fights for it”, and that it will lose it "only when it accepts statements such as that uttered by Jovanović".

Jovanović criticized official Belgrade for "insisting that the whole region has to accept a stand that is acceptable only to Serbia and no one else", and that when it says that Kosovo is not independent, Belgrade "harasses the whole region".

Jeremić responded that this is "definitely not the case, since Serbia was not the one to recognize secession of part of territory of any regional state".

The foreign minister also said that he believed it was possible to join the EU with unsolved territorial issues, and mentioned Cyprus in this context. That country, he said, became an EU member, "even though for 30 years they were told to give up on a part of their territory, and even though they did not agree to that".

"We learned from Cyprus how to fight for Kosovo. Cyprus is a living example," Jeremić said, and added that although the task ahead of Serbia is more difficult, "that does not mean that we should give up".