Serbian Prime Minister Ivica Dacic said on Tuesday that Belgrade was ready to implement all the agreements reached in dialogue with Kosovo and to continue the dialogue on the political level as well, adding that it did not expect any new demands from Brussels.
We are ready to continue the dialogue, not just on technical but also on political issues, Dacic told the press after meeting European Council President Herman Van Rompuy in Brussels. He stressed that his government was not questioning the agreements reached in the EU-mediated dialogue with Kosovo.
Dacic, who was on his first visit to Brussels since becoming Prime Minister, also spoke of Serbia's expectations regarding a date for the opening of accession negotiations.
The start of negotiations and the European path of Serbia is in our hands. We ask our EU partners not to set any additional conditions and not to expand the requirements beyond those set last December, Dacic said.
Van Rompuy said that a visible and sustainable improvement of relations with Kosovo was a key requirement for the next step - the start of accession negotiations. He welcomed a decision by the Serbian government that would make it possible for Kosovo's representatives to attend regional conferences, and stressed the need to find a solution to the fragile situation in northern Kosovo.
Van Rompuy highlighted the importance of further reforms in Serbia -- in the judiciary, the fight against corruption and organised crime, freedom of the media, and protection of minorities. He said that it was also necessary to improve the business environment as an important factor in attracting investment, boosting exports and reducing unemployment.
Dacic also met with European Parliament President Martin Schulz, who said that mutual recognition between Serbia and Kosovo was a requirement for Serbia's EU entry. Schulz said that the EU had an internal problem with that because five of its 27 member states have not recognised Kosovo as an independent state.
