Dacic after the meeting with Borrell and Lajcak: They understood the Belgrade's red lines

The First Vice-President of the Government of Serbia and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ivica Dacic, said this evening in Brussels, after meetings with the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, and the EU's special envoy for dialogue, Miroslav Lajcak, that Belgrade is determined to do everything it can, taking into account national and state interests, to continue the European path and harmonization with the policy of the European Union, RTV reports.

Dacic reported that Borrell and Lajcak emphasized the very constructive and responsible role of the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, when it comes to the last talks held in Belgrade, about the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina.

"Borrell and Lajcak emphasized Serbia's responsible approach, as well as their desire not to deal with the resolution of the weekly conflicts that take place in Kosovo and Metohija in the coming period, which in our opinion is solely the fault of Albin Kurti, but to try to reach an agreement that would provide stronger guarantees and enabled peace and stability in the region", said Dacic.

He added that the Brussels officials also repeated what Vucic said, that Belgrade is ready to work on the foundations and implementation of the plan, but also that he clearly pointed out the red lines are, which is Kosovo's membership in the UN, as well as the formation of the Community of Serb-majority municipalities, which should not be disputed.

Dacic also conveyed that he reminded Borrell that it was in the building in Brussels, where they met today, that the Brussels Agreement was signed, at the request of Catherine Ashton and all other international factors.

"That they invented the Community of Serb-majority Municipalities and that 10 years after that, it is absolutely unacceptable for us that anyone talks about not being able to form the CSM," said Dacic.

He said that what is heard from Pristina is still very negatively evaluated, but, despite this, he states, Belgrade's role will be constructive, because peace, stability, and the protection of national and state interests are needed.

When asked what the next steps are in the continuation of the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, Dacic said that it remains to be seen whether it is possible to form the CSM, and that, he underlined, is a question for Pristina.

Recalling the statement of Vucic, who said that Serbia expects the dialogue to continue and will play a constructive role; he said that at all official meetings in the EU, this was evaluated as a positive role and attitude of Belgrade.

When it comes to harmonizing Serbia's foreign policy with the EU, Dacic reiterated that it was not a question of value determination regarding the relationship between Russia and Ukraine, but of "reflections that the issue of territorial integrity and sovereignty of Serbia has when it comes to its position in other international organizations and institutions, that is, Serbia's relations with countries that support Serbia's position regarding Kosovo's membership in the United Nations, and one of those countries is Russia".

Regarding the relationship between Serbia and the EU, Dacic said that the general conclusion was that operational cooperation should be improved and pointed to positive examples of relations with the EU.

"This means that we should try to say everything that we disagree on in such a way that it does not create a negative impression on the European Union, as well as that in relations with the EU we should talk more about the advantages, perspectives and what is really offered to the citizens ", Dacic said.

Dacic also stated that the European Commissioner for Internal Affairs, Ylva Johansson, positively evaluated the harmonization of Serbia's visa policy with the EU's visa policy, as well as that she announced her imminent arrival in Belgrade and cooperation with the Ministry of Internal Affairs.