Djuric: The dialogue is not and will not be about mutual recognition, but about the establishment of the Community of Serb-majority Municipalities

Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Djuric stated today in Brussels that the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina is not, will not be, and cannot be a dialogue on mutual recognition, but rather can and must be a dialogue on the establishment of the Community of Serb-majority Municipalities (CSM).

Following his meeting with the European Union Special Representative for the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue Peter Sørensen, Djuric said that Serbia’s policy is clear and unequivocal: the CSM remains both a priority and the framework for building the institutional capacities of Serbs and protecting their collective rights.

“We insist on the implementation of the agreement on the CSM as an indispensable condition for building trust and normalizing relations, which is in fact the essence of the process,” Djuric told reporters.

Commenting on the statement made in Brussels by Pristina representative Glauk Konjufca, who reiterated the demand for mutual recognition, Djuric stressed that the Brussels dialogue is a dialogue on the establishment of the CSM.

“Let there be no doubt: for Serbia, the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue is not, will not be, and cannot be a dialogue on mutual recognition. Rather, it is, can, and must be a dialogue on the establishment of the CSM and on expanding the political, economic, cultural, and other rights not only of the Serbian people, but also of others living in the territory of Kosovo and Metohija,” Djuric emphasized.

He stated that Serbia seeks the opening of trade routes and transport links, as well as the reduction of political tensions and the normalization of relations between Serbs and Albanians.

“I do not believe we should be poking each other in the eye by constantly raising status-related issues everywhere and accusing one another of destabilization, as we heard today from representatives of Pristina. Belgrade is certainly not part of that game. We are playing in a higher league — the league of the future — in which our region becomes a region of success. As for those political forces in Pristina and elsewhere that have avoided implementing the agreements, I hope they will demonstrate good faith to both Brussels and Belgrade by respecting what has already been agreed,” Minister Djuric stated.

He also conveyed that during the talks with Sørensen he raised the issue of Serbs arrested in Kosovo and Metohija.

“Conversations of this kind are never easy or simple. I used the opportunity to raise the issue of the position of arrested Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija, about whom very little is being said. We have several dozen political prisoners in Kosovo and Metohija, and we are deeply concerned about their situation. Our representatives are not always able to visit them, and sometimes even their families cannot do so. Therefore, we believe that resolving the issue of political prisoners must be taken very seriously, as it affects the overall climate,” Minister Djuric noted.

Djuric and Sørensen met at the Mission of Serbia to the European Union.

Earlier today, the head of Serbian diplomacy participated in an informal meeting hosted in Brussels by EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas with Western Balkan foreign ministers.

On the sidelines of that gathering, Djuric also met with Dutch Foreign Minister Tom Berendsen to discuss the enhancement of bilateral cooperation and Serbia’s European integration process.