"EU should openly say what it wants from us"

"EU should openly say what it wants from us"

He advised his recent statement that Serbia would not be able to join the organization "even if it recognized Kosovo" to be interpreted "in this context."

"I think it's been clear to everyone for a long time that I'm not one of those politicians who talk randomly, or one whose reactions are hysterical or panicky. In other words, when I say something, I know why I say it and what I'm saying. So is the case with this statement. It represents a response, not my own, but of Serbia as a state to the fact that we have been exposed to various conditions and announcements of conditions. It sends a clear message that we have had enough of that. It says: please, gentlemen, say openly what you want from Serbia, so that we can equally openly say whether we want to do what is required of us," Dacic told the paper, and added:

"This way, we are in a position to accept or reject something that nobody is officially demanding from us. To us that means nothing but a sign that even what I mentioned could happen to us. For us to hurtle to recognize Kosovo, convinced that it is a requirement, and then for somebody to tell us, sorry, but something else was the condition."

Asked "whether this means that the EU does not want us," Dacic "gave a negative answer," said the daily.

"This means that the EU is still not even sure what to do either with itself, nor with us. And when this is considered, we must bear in mind all the things the EU is facing today. The crisis, Greece, Ukraine, the Middle East with its reflections on Europe, then the relationship between the big and the small (countries) in the EU itself... when you look at that, you understand why the EU, in some way, runs away from everything that seems to be a potential problem," he said.

"That is why the stories about conditions are there - in order to delay the solving of a possible problem. And we understand that, but our job is to present a clear position on this issue and, at the same time, do everything so that Serbia becomes a serious, well arranged and economically stable country that will no longer be seen as a potential problem but as a desirable partner."

He also said he "does not expect bigger problems than those we already have" because of the Serbian military's participation in the Victory Day parade in Moscow.

"We have not boycotted any celebration, from D-Day to the liberation of Auschwitz, so we will not boycott the parade in Moscow. And if somebody were to tell us that by participating in the D-Day celebration organized by Western allies we did not show commitment to relations with Russia, we would do the same. We would attend the celebration," Dacic said.

According to the newspaper, he was commenting on a statement made by an EP official that the participation of Serbian soldiers in the Moscow military parade was contrary to the statements about the commitment to the process of integration into the European Union.