PM on relations in region, negotiations with Priština

SARAJEVO Serbia’s Prime Minister Ivica Dacic has stated that the Balkan countries should try forming a Balkan council, noting that it would not be a new Yugoslavia. He told Al Jazeera Balkans that the Balkan countries did not need to love each other but that they should cooperate because it was in their mutual best interest. PM on relations in region, negotiations with Pristina According to him, the Balkan council would “make us stronger together”. “This is not a new Yugoslavia. Bosnia-Herzegovina is certainly closer to us than Lithuania and a Lithuanian has more rights when they come to Serbia than someone from Croatia. I think it is unfair,” Dacic explained. The prime minister expressed expectation that he would meet with his Croatian counterpart Zoran Milanovic in the next few months. He said that the Balkan people and states “need to cooperate, especially governments” despite historical differences. “I had an initiative in that sense before to meet on the government level. To avoid hugs and kisses and swearing on our historical ties but to simply be practical and achieve a communication that will allow our relations not to be as in ice age, despite the fact the we do not get along,” the Serbian PM said. Commenting on Serbia’s relations with Bosnia-Herzegovina, he reiterated that Serbia respected Bosnia-Herzegovina as a state. He added that Serbia had special ties with the Republic of Srpska (RS) in accordance with the Dayton Accords but that it wanted to have the same relations with the Muslim-Croat Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina. Commenting on the continuation of negotiations with Pristina, he said that it was not Serbia’s goal to have its own institutions in Kosovo but to have institutions that “will be acceptable both to Kosovo Serbs and Pristina authorities.“ “We believe that an acceptable solution for us is to grant the Serbian people in Kosovo and Metohija autonomy,” he said, adding that it was a “fair proposal”. Dacic pointed out that the dialogue with Pristina was important for Serbia’s progress on the EU pathway. He noted that he did not think that the EU was ideal but that he saw no other option for Serbia. Ivica Dacic (Beta, file) Beta Al Jazeera

PM on relations in region, negotiations with Priština

According to him, the Balkan council would “make us stronger together”.

“This is not a new Yugoslavia. Bosnia-Herzegovina is certainly closer to us than Lithuania and a Lithuanian has more rights when they come to Serbia than someone from Croatia. I think it is unfair,” Dačić explained.

The prime minister expressed expectation that he would meet with his Croatian counterpart Zoran Milanović in the next few months.

He said that the Balkan people and states “need to cooperate, especially governments” despite historical differences.

“I had an initiative in that sense before to meet on the government level. To avoid hugs and kisses and swearing on our historical ties but to simply be practical and achieve a communication that will allow our relations not to be as in ice age, despite the fact the we do not get along,” the Serbian PM said.

Commenting on Serbia’s relations with Bosnia-Herzegovina, he reiterated that Serbia respected Bosnia-Herzegovina as a state. He added that Serbia had special ties with the Republic of Srpska (RS) in accordance with the Dayton Accords but that it wanted to have the same relations with the Muslim-Croat Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Commenting on the continuation of negotiations with Priština, he said that it was not Serbia’s goal to have its own institutions in Kosovo but to have institutions that “will be acceptable both to Kosovo Serbs and Priština authorities.“

“We believe that an acceptable solution for us is to grant the Serbian people in Kosovo and Metohija autonomy,” he said, adding that it was a “fair proposal”.

Dačić pointed out that the dialogue with Priština was important for Serbia’s progress on the EU pathway.

He noted that he did not think that the EU was ideal but that he saw no other option for Serbia.