German Ambassador: Students Want Functioning Institutions

German Ambassador Anke Konrad (BETAPHOTO/MILAN ILIC)

German Ambassador to Serbia Anke Konrad said on March 27 that Germany was carefully monitoring the ongoing protests in Serbia and added that the protesters wanted functioning institutions, which was what every German citizen expected of their institutions.

"I understand Serbian very well. I looked at what the students are asking for, what their demands are. What we are talking about here is that demonstrators want functioning institutions, regardless of whether we are talking about rule of law or some other area," Konrad said in an interview with the NIN weekly.

She added that "I believe that this is something, of course, that is important to the EU, something that every German citizen expects of German institutions" and stressed that establishing functioning institutions was what made up reforms in the process of EU accession.

"To what degree people now believe or do not believe in the EU being a realistic objective for Serbia, I cannot answer that, the people in the street should be asked this," Konrad said. "Ultimately what is important is having functioning institutions and I believe that is what every citizen, anywhere in the world legitimately expects of their country," Konrad said.