First deputy PM: Serbia can meet most expectations

BELGRADE, BERLIN Serbia's First Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic believes it is possible to fulfill the greatest part of what is expected from Serbia. He added that it was possible to secure Germany's support for getting a starting date for the EU accession talks. First deputy PM: Serbia can meet most expectations “Serbia has never had higher credibility in Germany,” he stated. Summing up impressions from his visit to Germany, Vucic told Radio Television of Serbia (RTS) that Serbia had great prospects for obtaining the date for the start of the EU negotiations. “There are still some things that Germany will insist on, and some of them are not easy,” he said. “We are representing Serbia… There are some things that would not be easy, or realistic, to implement. However, most things, I am sure, we can do and I am sure that we can secure their support for the date,” the deputy PM explained. He voiced hope that Serbia would get a date for the EU entry talks this time, although “it will not be the end of life” if it failed to do that. Vucic expects a good signal from Germany, understanding for what Serbia has done in several recent months, and a message for Serbian citizens that they are welcome to the EU. He said he was encouraged by the fact that the Serbian delegation, which also included Serbian Deputy Prime Minister for EU Integration Suzana Grubjesic and Chairperson of the parliamentary Committee on EU Integration Milica Delevic, was well-received. Vucic said that not all tasks that were ahead of Serbia in the coming weeks were related to Kosovo but that a part of them referred to reforms, as reform processes had not been completed. He expects that the Justice Ministry in particular will do its part of the job. “It is essential for economic recovery that Serbia be granted a date, as the creation of favorable political, economic and legal frameworks will encourage some of the largest German companies, as well as investors from other parts of the world, to come to Serbia,” the first deputy PM said. “The economic cooperation with Germany is a vital national interest for Serbia,” he stressed. On Thursday, Vucic met in Berlin the Deputy PMs of Croatia and Montenegro, Neven Mimica and Igor Luksic respectively, with whom he discussed the improvement of bilateral cooperation. He said that he had talked with Mimica about the improvement of relations with Croatia, although the two states would never be able to agree on certain things from the past. Aleksandar Vucic (Tanjug) RTS Tanjug

First deputy PM: Serbia can meet most expectations

“Serbia has never had higher credibility in Germany,” he stated.

Summing up impressions from his visit to Germany, Vučić told Radio Television of Serbia (RTS) that Serbia had great prospects for obtaining the date for the start of the EU negotiations.

“There are still some things that Germany will insist on, and some of them are not easy,” he said.

“We are representing Serbia… There are some things that would not be easy, or realistic, to implement. However, most things, I am sure, we can do and I am sure that we can secure their support for the date,” the deputy PM explained.

He voiced hope that Serbia would get a date for the EU entry talks this time, although “it will not be the end of life” if it failed to do that.

Vučić expects a good signal from Germany, understanding for what Serbia has done in several recent months, and a message for Serbian citizens that they are welcome to the EU.

He said he was encouraged by the fact that the Serbian delegation, which also included Serbian Deputy Prime Minister for EU Integration Suzana Grubješić and Chairperson of the parliamentary Committee on EU Integration Milica Delević, was well-received.

Vučić said that not all tasks that were ahead of Serbia in the coming weeks were related to Kosovo but that a part of them referred to reforms, as reform processes had not been completed. He expects that the Justice Ministry in particular will do its part of the job.

“It is essential for economic recovery that Serbia be granted a date, as the creation of favorable political, economic and legal frameworks will encourage some of the largest German companies, as well as investors from other parts of the world, to come to Serbia,” the first deputy PM said.

“The economic cooperation with Germany is a vital national interest for Serbia,” he stressed.

On Thursday, Vučić met in Berlin the Deputy PMs of Croatia and Montenegro, Neven Mimica and Igor Lukšić respectively, with whom he discussed the improvement of bilateral cooperation.

He said that he had talked with Mimica about the improvement of relations with Croatia, although the two states would never be able to agree on certain things from the past.