Vucic: I'm afraid we won't see the CSM anytime soon

President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic reiterated today, after a meeting with the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, that Serbia was dedicated to preserving peace and stability and understood its obligations but also clearly knew what was against the Serbian Constitution and could not be done.

Vucic said at a joint press conference that during his meeting with Von der Leyen, he had reiterated everything he had said in Brussels during his last meeting with EU representatives and the three largest EU member states - France, Italy, and Germany.

"Everything I said in Brussels still stands. Serbia is committed to preserving peace and stability, knows its obligations, and will fulfill them. Serbia is clear about what it cannot do against the Serbian Constitution," Vucic said and pointed out that he had informed all international partners about this.

He emphasizes that this position remains unchanged.

"We know what Serbia has accepted, and what we have discussed in the Assembly, and we will fulfill our obligations responsibly, expecting that others will fulfill what they committed to 11 years ago," the President of Serbia said.

President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic emphasized today that Kosovo's independence was out of the question for Serbia and he had no problem saying that in front of the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen; on the contrary, he was proud to say it.

"For us, recognizing Kosovo's independence is out of the question, and I'm proud to say that to the President of the European Commission. We know our obligations from the dialogue, and we are ready to fulfill them, but I must point out one thing: for 11 years and before all the agreements, Pristina, which had only one obligation – the CSM, and did not fulfill it," Vucic said.

Regarding the CSM Statute presented by the big five, Vucic says that a significant portion is already contained in the principles of the 2013 agreement.

He reminds that it was agreed not to disclose details and reiterated that he has already said that the document is a good basis.

"We are ready to discuss it," he said.

He also adds that he fears that they won't see the CSM any time soon.

"I know all the Balkan tricks very well, and I'm afraid we will be in a tougher position on this issue. Whether they can see it in Europe, some can see it now. For Ursula and others, the way to make more concessions is that they see events differently from us. These are their views and are much milder than what I hear in meetings. There are no nice and easy things; we have to state our position while safeguarding national interests," Vucic said.

The EU is Serbia's primary economic partner

As he stated, he affirmed with Von der Leyen that the EU was Serbia's primary economic partner.

In this regard, he said that two-thirds of our exports and three-fifths of foreign investments came from the EU.

"Serbia is the leading trading partner with the EU in the Balkans, accounting for 50% of exports to the EU, with the rest of the countries in the region accounting for the other 50%", Vucic said and added that the trade turnover from January to August amounted to 25.82 billion euros, with exports exceeding imports by 12.6 billion euros, while imports were 2.4% lower.

As he states this is not because we have suddenly become smarter and stronger, but because we have attracted European investors who export from here to their own countries and to other markets.

He said that he had heard encouraging words today regarding the Growth Plan, within which significant financial support was expected if we fulfilled our obligations.

"Accepting and forming a unified regional market is a priority for Serbia, and we consider it a benefit," the President emphasized.

Regarding Serbia's accession to the EU, Vucic highlighted that Serbia had two key issues that were slowing down its progress: the non-imposition of sanctions on Russia and the issue of Kosovo.