Selaković: Reforms and regional cooperation for a better future

15. Nov 2021.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Serbia, Nikola Selaković, says that Serbia is committed to EU integration, and that it shows that commitment primarily through internal reforms and regional cooperation.

At the Conference "Discussing the Future of Europe – Perspectives and Contributions from the Western Balkans", organized by the College of Europe in Bruges, Selaković stressed the importance of the comprehensiveness of the debate on the future of Europe and called for strengthening tangible ties between people and institutions of the EU and Serbia.

"Serbia's commitment to EU integration is visible through the reform process, where our focus is on the rule of law. We are proud that we have done an excellent job in the last year, which was recognized in the report of the European Commission", said Selaković.

The head of Serbian diplomacy says that for Serbia, the engagement in EU regional initiatives is of special importance, as well as the cooperation between the neighbors in the Western Balkans.

"Serbia has eight neighbors, and regional policy and cooperation are the highest priority of our foreign policy. We need to find a way to deepen that cooperation. It is not only about participation in existing initiatives, but also about the promotion of new initiatives, such as the Open Balkans, to which both the Government of Serbia and President Aleksandar Vučić are very committed", Selaković said.

Selaković states that regional initiatives are important both from the point of view of economic cooperation and from the perspective of demography, as one of, according to him, the most important issues for the European continent.

He states that the entire region of the Western Balkans has about 17.5 million people, which is less than one member such as Romania, while the GDP of the entire region is 0.6 percent of the EU GDP.

"If our role and position are not well recognized, then these percentages will be even lower, and then all our bilateral differences will be meaningless. Therefore, let us cooperate in areas where we have no problems and let our first priority be economic cooperation", Selaković emphasized.

During his address to other foreign ministers from the region who participated in the Conference in Bruges, Selaković concluded that mutual dialogue is the best way to improve regional cooperation, as well as the contribution of the Western Balkans to the future of Europe.

Source: Tanjug