Tadić: Kosovo recognition not EU condition

President Boris Tadic said that even though 22 countries of the EU have recognized Kosovo, recognition is not a condition for Serbia’s integration. “Any other situation would be a very big problem and the integration process would be blocked,” Tadic said at a joint press conference held with his Croatian counterpart Ivo Josipovic after a forum dedicated to the Western Balkans held in Brussels. Tadic: Kosovo recognition not EU condition Tadic said that Serbia accepts that Kosovo and all its residents are citizens of the EU, but as a southern Serbian province. “When we are speaking of the EU integration process, it is completely clear that only UN member-states can join the EU. Serbia does not and will never recognize Kosovo, but is interested in all the people of the region and those that live in the southern province becoming EU citizens,” he said. The Balkan panel at the Brussels forum (FoNet) Approaches for Bosnia-Herzegovina have changed Tadic said that leaders of Serbia and Croatia have completely different approaches now compared to leaders of the two countries in the early 1990s, as far as Bosnia is concerned. He said that he and Josipovic agree that everything must be done to preserve the integrity and sovereignty of Bosnia-Herzegovina. Tadic said that it is crystal clear that Serbia and Croatia will not destabilize Bosnia, and stressed that Belgrade and Zagreb do not support a partition of the country. Josipovic added that Croatia and Serbia have no aspirations of supporting the forces in Bosnia that want a partition of the country. He said that it is important for Bosnia to function as a united state, which is not the case currently. He said that Bosniaks, Serbs, and Croats must find a solution and that no one else can solve their problems, stating that Bosnia-Herzegovina must be a country of three equal nations. Organized crime main challenge The Serbian and Croatian presidents agreed that organized crime is one of the main challenges and great problems, not only in the region, but also throughout Europe. Tadic said that Serbia is working hard to fight organized crime and that the Serbian security services are cooperating closely with officials in America and Great Britain. “Serbia is for the first time exporting security with this cooperation, which was shown in the example of the seizure of tons and tons of cocaine in the Atlantic Ocean,” Tadic said. He said that organized crime is tied to the question of war crimes from the past, and that the solving of this problem is a key factor for stability in the region and a guarantee for the safety of future generations. Josipovic said that Croatia has taken large steps in the fight against organized crime, stressing that it is very important to recognize the problem as soon as possible on a state, regional, and European level, and then encourage government’s to solve it. Both agreed that cooperation in the field of security between Serbia and Croatia is very good.

Tadić: Kosovo recognition not EU condition

Tadić said that Serbia accepts that Kosovo and all its residents are citizens of the EU, but as a southern Serbian province.

“When we are speaking of the EU integration process, it is completely clear that only UN member-states can join the EU. Serbia does not and will never recognize Kosovo, but is interested in all the people of the region and those that live in the southern province becoming EU citizens,” he said.

Approaches for Bosnia-Herzegovina have changed

Tadić said that leaders of Serbia and Croatia have completely different approaches now compared to leaders of the two countries in the early 1990s, as far as Bosnia is concerned.

He said that he and Josipović agree that everything must be done to preserve the integrity and sovereignty of Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Tadić said that it is crystal clear that Serbia and Croatia will not destabilize Bosnia, and stressed that Belgrade and Zagreb do not support a partition of the country.

Josipović added that Croatia and Serbia have no aspirations of supporting the forces in Bosnia that want a partition of the country.

He said that it is important for Bosnia to function as a united state, which is not the case currently.

He said that Bosniaks, Serbs, and Croats must find a solution and that no one else can solve their problems, stating that Bosnia-Herzegovina must be a country of three equal nations.

Organized crime main challenge

The Serbian and Croatian presidents agreed that organized crime is one of the main challenges and great problems, not only in the region, but also throughout Europe.

Tadić said that Serbia is working hard to fight organized crime and that the Serbian security services are cooperating closely with officials in America and Great Britain.

“Serbia is for the first time exporting security with this cooperation, which was shown in the example of the seizure of tons and tons of cocaine in the Atlantic Ocean,” Tadić said.

He said that organized crime is tied to the question of war crimes from the past, and that the solving of this problem is a key factor for stability in the region and a guarantee for the safety of future generations.

Josipović said that Croatia has taken large steps in the fight against organized crime, stressing that it is very important to recognize the problem as soon as possible on a state, regional, and European level, and then encourage government’s to solve it.

Both agreed that cooperation in the field of security between Serbia and Croatia is very good.