Starovic: We have to talk and move the ball into Pristina's court

State Secretary in the Ministry of Defense of Serbia, Nemanja Starovic, said today that Belgrade should now act wisely and put the ball in Pristina's court, by not saying "no", but by staying at the negotiating table.

Starovic said that at this moment it was necessary for Serbia to be wise, to carefully weigh every move, and not to allow, in such circumstances, "the cart to break on our backs", which did not mean that we should accept what is unfavorable for Serbia.

"In a tactical sense, we have to be wise, to move the ball into Pristina's court, by not saying - no period, but by staying at the negotiating table, and taking advantage of the fact that awareness has matured in the West that it is important to first implement what was agreed upon, and that is the CSM," Starovic stated for TV Pink.

If it succeeded, Kurti would be in a difficult position, Starovic is convinced.

"It will be difficult for Kurti because his policy relies only on the campaign against the Community of Serb-majority Municipalities," he said.

Starovic also said that it would be irresponsible if all the pressures facing Serbia had been taken lightly, pointing out that the geopolitical context had changed so much in the last year, so what had been unimaginable a year ago was now very conceivable, which only meant that every move had to be wise and measured.

"As a country, we must not allow ourselves to be the party that will be blamed for the failure of the initiative. And so that we don't turn around in a year and realize that we have a devastated Serbia, as a result of insufficiently thought-out moves," he indicated.

He also mentioned the statement of the head of German diplomacy, Annalena Baerbock, who said that "the EU is at war", which, he says, only shows that every logic of diplomacy is lost, that there is no longer even the logic of profit, but the logic of war, in which things are often done quickly.

He added that Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic had rightly pointed out the speed foreign companies had withdrawn from the Russian market.

"When we talk about the end of investments and withdrawal of companies, we have to take it seriously. This does not mean that we accept unfavorable things for Serbia, but we must stay at the table," Starovic repeats.

He stated that the European Union was Serbia's strategic priority.

"We need to show an adequate level of political maturity, unity, and responsibility, in relation to the issues we are facing. This is how I interpret President Vucic's invitation to political actors for consultations, who, by refusing it, have shown a clear intention to use this difficult situation to score minor political points," Starovic said.

He says that a middle road policy, as led by President Vucic, is needed, asking what the consequences of the policy offered by the opposition parties would be.

"We have two extremes, which offer two seemingly easy and simple solutions, which would lead us to disaster. Those who would easily give up the national interest and agree to some kind of humiliation, and it would not bring us into the EU, and others whose mouths are full of Kosovo and Metohija, national interests, but their policy would lead us into a new economic isolation, without an inch of Kosovo under the sovereignty of Serbia. Both extremes are a disaster for the country," Starovic said.

In response to comments from the opposition that "since 2012, Vucic has been leading everything on his own in the issue of Kosovo and Metohija", Starovic says that this is a frivolous approach that will not be seen even in the surrounding countries, let alone in the European democracies, but that the citizens recognize who is the one who has enough statesmanship experience and authority to be able to lead Serbia "through the eye of a needle", which is what we need now.

He also stated that no political solution could be sustainable if there was no minimum of justice if it could not pass the test of common sense and logic, and if it could not be explained to a young man of 15-16 years.

Starovic also said that he did not believe in deadlines, recalling that it had also been said that an agreement had to be reached by 2017, then 2018.

He added that the issue was too complex and that at this point the sequence of moves was very important - first the CSM, then the framework principles.

"The new agreement is not worth it if the implementation mechanisms and adequate guarantees are not clearly defined, but I am afraid that the EU, with the experience of the previous 10 years, cannot provide firm guarantees. This must be discussed before entering into new discussions about some new framework principles," Starovic said.

Starovic also stated that he believed "that this is not a 100-meter race, but a marathon."

"We must maintain our position, so as not to be the party accused of failure," Starovic repeated.