EU Calls On Serbia To Normalise Ties With Kosovo
By KUNA
EU Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fulle met here Monday Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Bozidar Djelic to review the state of play of reforms in Serbia, some three weeks before the European Commission will adopt its opinion on Serbia’s EU membership application.
“Overall, I acknowledged the commitment of the Serbian leadership to the European integration process,” said Fulle in press statements.
The arrests and transfers to the Hague Tribunal of Serbian war crime indictees Ratko Mladic and Goran Hadzic have represented a major development for international justice and Serbia’s road to the EU, he noted.
“We welcome Serbia’s improved bilateral relations with its neighbours and its active efforts to foster reconciliation and further develop regional cooperation. We also hope to see the dialogue with Kosovo still deliver additional substantial results and we expect the next round of the dialogue in late September to bring further agreements,” he said.
“We have also been clear with Serbia that the recognition of Kosovo is not a formal condition of the European integration process, but what matters is to achieve the normalisation of Serbia’s relations with Kosovo over time,” he added.
Kosovo declared independence from Serbian rule in 2008 and many European states have recognized its independence.
