Macut in Athens with Mitsotakis: The Community of Serb Municipalities a precondition for any talks on normalization with Pristina

Serbian Prime Minister Djuro Macut, who is on a visit to Athens, met with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, conveying Belgrade’s position that the establishment of the Community of Serb Municipalities (CSM) is necessary for any discussions on the normalization of relations with Pristina.

“We discussed the situation in Kosovo and Metohija following the formation of the new government in Pristina. Of course, I conveyed our well-known positions—that one of our primary conditions is the recognition of the right of the Serbian people to establish the Community of Serb Municipalities, and that this is an absolute precondition for any discussion on normalization. He was already aware of this, and I hope he will help us overcome these issues on our path toward the EU,” Macut stated in Athens.

The Prime Minister described the meeting with his Greek counterpart as very constructive, noting that they exchanged views on developments in the region.

“I informed him that Serbia is actively working on implementing its EU accession path, that we speak and plan very responsibly, and that we expect the opening of new clusters. Mitsotakis is convinced that it is only a matter of time before this happens,” Macut said.

He invited the Greek Prime Minister to visit Serbia, which, according to him, could take place as early as April. Prior to that, in March, the Greek Minister of Foreign Affairs is expected to visit Serbia.

“With Greece, we maintain continuous relations, and that sends a strong message—that Greece is our neighbor, we regard it as such, our peoples are close, and we must maintain very good relations,” Macut added.

He also stated that energy issues were discussed, given that Greece will play an important role, particularly due to liquefied natural gas arriving through that country.

“Greece is not only a historical neighbor and friend, but also an important strategic, economic, infrastructural, and transport route that we must preserve. Recent developments have shown that we cannot rely on a single route. Diversification is inevitable and represents sound policy, because a landlocked country such as Serbia must depend on multiple sources of supply,” Macut concluded.