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Stable relations with Kosovo crucial for Serbian EU progress: visiting British FM

Xinhua, January 16, 2015 Adjust font size:

Serbia's progress in the EU integration process depends mostly on the implementation of the bilateral relations agreement it reached with Kosovo, said visiting British Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Philip Hammond at a joint press conference with the Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic here on Thursday.

Following his visits to Bulgaria and Romania, Hammond visited Serbia on Thursday where he told Vucic that the most important condition for opening of the chapters of the EU access would be the full implementation of the Brussels agreement, an accord between Serbia and its southern province Kosovo and Metohija that declared independence unilaterally in 2008.

"On the question of the negotiating chapters, of course there has to be implementation of the Brussels agreement on the normalization of relations between Serbia and Kosovo, and I applaud the work that the prime minister is doing in seeking to make progress on that dossier," Hammond told a journalist.

Hammond added that he supported Serbia in its efforts to be a member of the EU and he wished to see negotiating chapters opened as soon as possible in order for the country to "maintain the momentum" in EU integration.

Vucic said he found the UK was a good example of well-implemented reforms and that he was satisfied with the open relations between the two countries.

"In the privatization process of the 502 Serbian companies there are several companies coming from the UK that are interested in some of our biggest companies," Vucic said.

Following his visit to Serbia, Hammond was expected to visit Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina where he will meet top state officials. Endit