Djuric: Serbia's national interests and European perspective are MFA's priorities

BELGRADE - Strengthening friendships and ties with nations around the world and safeguarding national and state interests with a clear European perspective for Serbia remain the absolute priorities for the Serbian MFA, says FM Marko Djuric.

"I embark on my new term with a lot of drive, fully aware of the challenges that await us," Djuric told Tanjug in an interview at the weekend.

He said the policy of Pristina's PM Albin Kurti towards Serbs in Kosovo-Metohija was expected to continue and that Pristina would also continue to strive to secure further recognitions of its unilaterally declared independence.

"That is something that is a realistic danger for us in the coming period and, in the spirit of the tradition of our people, we will take up the fight and advocate the safeguarding of the Serbian state and national interest," Djuric said.

Asked to comment on the current situation in the Autonomous Province of Kosovo-Metohija, Djuric responded that the Kurti regime had used ultra-nationalist methods in the past two years, and noted that nothing like that had been seen in Europe in many years.

"In the past two years, the Kurti regime practically accelerated the departures of Serbs from Kosovo-Metohija by cutting institutional, economic and other vital ties for the Serbian community, which has been met with verbal condemnations but essentially remained unpunished by the international community. We can expect a continuation of such a policy," Djuric said.

"But it (the Kurti regime) is far from being the only responsible party. The responsibility also lies with the international community, which has, for 13 years, been tolerating a failure to implement the Brussels Agreement. The responsibility is divided between the two, but Kurti's is much greater, of course," Djuric said.

Serbia is not looking for the culprit for stalls in the dialogue, but for solutions through which it will help its people, Djuric said, adding that a centre dealing exclusively with the province had been established during his previous term as FM.

Djuric also pointed out the problems he had faced during the term, highlighting the fight against Pristina's Council of Europe membership bid and against a Srebrenica resolution.

Speaking about an EU Council on Foreign Affairs meeting he recently attended in Luxembourg, Djuric said representing Serbia had not been an easy task, mostly due to the pressure on Belgrade over its relations with Russia and over Serbia's participation in this year's Victory Day parade in Moscow.

"In an absolutely prepared and determined manner, we have been representing the Serbian state and national position. Serbia is a country aspiring to EU membership and we believe that EU membership absolutely remains the strategic foreign policy priority for the new (Djuro) Macut government as well. We proceed on that path while respecting ourselves and our national interests and the envisioned rules, but demanding that the rules for Serbia be no different to those for other candidates," Djuric noted.