Dacic: The formation of the CSM is a test for the international community as well

The head of Serbian diplomacy, Ivica Dacic, said today that Serbia's position was clear, namely that there were no further steps in the implementation of the agreement with Pristina until the Community of Serb-majority Municipalities was formed.

In Vienna, Dacic pointed out that the most important thing was that it had been said that the CSM should be formed immediately.

 "Until the CSM is formed, we cannot further discuss the steps of implementation. Vucic clearly said that we agreed to implement the principles up to our red lines that we highlighted," Dacic said.

Recalling that he and Hashim Thaci signed the formation of the CSM, he stated that he would be overly optimistic if he said that it would happen immediately tomorrow when it had not happened in the previous 10 years.

 "This is now also a test for the international community," Dacic said.

 He also stated that it had been clearly defined that 10 municipalities would make up the CSM, of which four were in the north of Kosovo with a Serbian majority.

"We sat and talked about it for days. We barely agreed to such a thing and now we have to wait for 10 years for Kurti to relent and form it. We do not believe in their eagerness, but we accept the guarantees of the European negotiators that it will be so," Dacic said.

 When asked whether Serbia would accept Kosovo's membership in the EU, he replied that "no one asks us anything in the EU, because we are not a member", but also stated that Serbia should have become a member of the EU a long time ago.

 When it comes to the attitude towards Russia, Dacic said that it should not be forgotten that in 1948 the SFRY had withdrawn from all pacts with the USSR, unlike the Eastern European countries that were now in the EU, and that were preparing an armed attack on Yugoslavia because of the conflict with Moscow.

"When it comes to the EU, it is important to talk about the United Nations, because it is a universal organization that confirms whether a country is recognized or not. That's all it's about," Dacic said.

 He reminded that a year ago, Serbia had confirmed its position at the National Security Council and condemned violations of the territorial integrity of every country, including Ukraine, but had not joined restrictive measures against Moscow.

 "That attitude has not changed. If there is a need to review the position, competent institutions will deal with it. It is true that Serbia did not impose sanctions on Russia, but it is also true that the volume of foreign trade exchange between Russia and Serbia has decreased. And how do you comment on the fact that in many Western countries, which have introduced sanctions, the volume of foreign trade has increased? Be fair to everyone. Our exchange with Russia is mainly related to oil and gas," Dacic said.