Duda Kavecka: Overcome obstacles in Dialogue, refrain from unilateral actions

Kamila Duda Kavecka, the Chargé d'Affaires at the Polish Embassy in Serbia, expressed that there are obstacles in the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia that need to be overcome, emphasizing the necessity to refrain from unilateral actions as they always lead to tensions, as reported by Telegraf.

In an interview with Tanjug, when asked whether the Polish presidency of the EU, starting January 1, could lead to progress in the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, Duda Kavecka described it as a challenging topic with existing barriers that need to be overcome.

"We hope and keep our fingers crossed that progress is possible. The dialogue faces some obstacles, but it is still crucial for both Serbia and Kosovo to meet the expectations of both sides. At the same time, I think it is very advisable to refrain from unilateral actions because they always lead to some tensions. You know, probably we just need to appoint a new special representative for the dialogue. We are keeping our fingers crossed for him or her. We will see how it will be, but we hope for the best," said Duda Kavecka.

She noted that Poland's priorities during its EU presidency will be security in all possible dimensions, but the expansion of the European Union remains high on the list of priorities.

Duda Kavecka acknowledged that Poland is taking over the presidency in a period of great uncertainty and international tensions, hence the main motif of the presidency will be security, primarily military, which is the most obvious, but also informational, energy, and economic security.

"Our aim, for example, is to improve the EU's supply of medicines. Expansion, of course, remains among the EU's priorities. This has been the case not just for our country, but also for Hungary, which presided before us. We sincerely hope to maintain the momentum in the enlargement process and keep up the dynamics of the process. We sincerely hope that significant steps will be taken during these six months of our Council presidency," Duda Kavecka stated.

She emphasized that expansion has always been very important for Poland and is considered the best way to promote European values and rules.

"In our opinion, expansion should be a merit-based process. So, we don't want to make a difference between anyone. We will act as a so-called honest broker. We will lead the EU Council meetings, but obviously, we rely on EU institutions and, most importantly, other member countries in expansion," she added.

Speaking about the cooperation between Serbia and Poland, she is convinced that there is always more room for investment, whether Polish in Serbia or Serbian in Poland, and that is why Prime Minister Donald Tusk brought about ten representatives of the largest Polish companies, especially from the mining and energy sectors, during his visit to Serbia in October.

"We want to promote Serbia among Polish entrepreneurs as a country of great opportunities and at the same time encourage Serbian entrepreneurs to locate their investments in Poland," Duda Kavecka stated.

She mentioned that trade between Serbia and Poland is already quite significant, surpassing two billion euros for the third consecutive year.

"I hope we can continue this trend and make the trade exchange even bigger. We are committed to supporting Serbia in modernization, we have great expectations in many areas - green technology, IT, we will be able to work with you, for example, on improving air quality, sewage treatment, or industrial production, and we have quite a lot of experience in modernizing coal-fired power plants. So we are at your disposal and hope for the best," said Duda Kavecka.

According to her, Poland supports the policy of regional cooperation, especially in the current geopolitical and security situation in Europe.

"We have consistently supported the efforts of all candidate countries on their accession path. We want Serbia to seize the current momentum in the process and fully utilize the Growth Plan that was just approved during the Hungarian presidency. We think this is a great opportunity for Serbia to implement necessary reforms, but to speed up the process and make the most of it for the country and its citizens," the Polish representative in Serbia said.

Asked what she expects from 2025, Duda Kavecka said she would like it to be calmer than 2024, but professionally, as a diplomat, it's hard for her to remain optimistic given the tensions we see all over the world now.

"The war in Ukraine, the war in the Middle East, the consequences of the fall of Assad's regime in Syria. All these are circumstances that will certainly put great pressure on the international community. Therefore, I wish for myself and for Serbia that 2025 be a year of great progress in Serbia's approach to the EU, and that Serbia be a leader of the entire region," Duda Kavecka conveyed.