Đurić confers with Council of Europe Secretary General Berset

“As a member state, Serbia fully shares the founding commitments, principles and objectives of the Council of Europe with regard to cooperation on our continent and the promotion of values such as democracy, human rights and, more broadly, the advancement of the rule of law and living conditions within our wider community,” Đurić underlined.

He assessed that today’s meeting is taking place at an extremely specific moment when the Middle East is “ablaze” and the war that has been present on the eastern borders of Europe for four full years has now entered its fifth year.

“I believe that today is the right moment for a message of peace to be sent from Belgrade. Serbia strongly supports the rule of international public law, the peaceful settlement of disputes within the international community, multilateralism, and the role of international organizations in overcoming various contradictions in international relations, as well as serving as instruments of cooperation aimed at preventing the conflicts we are unfortunately witnessing. In that regard, we welcome the activities of the Council of Europe,” Đurić stated.

According to him, the meeting also addressed certain plans related to Serbia’s diplomatic initiatives in the region. Serbia, he said, intends to use 2026 to focus on strengthening stability, fostering friendly and good-neighborly relations with all countries in its immediate surroundings, and creating new opportunities for economic development and enhanced cooperation across various fields.

“Of course, that is far easier said than done. Difficult times sometimes require courageous decisions. For that reason, I can say that I am pleased to represent a country that takes the lead in initiatives for regional cooperation and in concrete steps, as we could see through the recent initiative of President Aleksandar Vučić, who together with Prime Minister Edi Rama proposed that the entire region should, at an accelerated pace, become part of various segments of European integration. That is precisely what we wish to achieve. We want to turn the page on the problems that emerged during the 1980s and 1990s and for the region to focus on the future, because I firmly believe that our region can become one of the potential pillars of growth and stability on our continent,” Đurić noted.

He added that he had used today’s meeting to brief Secretary General Berset and colleagues from the Council of Europe on the position of the Serbian people in Kosovo and Metohija, as well as on concerns related to challenges arising from the questioning of the functioning of the education and healthcare systems.
“I believe it is particularly important that everyone’s conduct regarding the protection of fundamental rights be placed under scrutiny. When necessary, this should also include both suggestions and criticism. In that regard, we make no exception even for ourselves. We do not seek a different standard for ourselves than the one we expect to be applied to others. In that sense, I am grateful to our interlocutors for patiently listening to Serbia’s state position on this issue,” Đurić said.

The head of Serbian diplomacy also thanked the Council of Europe delegation for holding a broad range of meetings in Belgrade with representatives of political institutions, parties from both the ruling coalition and the opposition, as well as with representatives of civil society, in order to gain a comprehensive picture of the situation in the country.

“A difficult year is behind us, one in which political tensions were high. We are now entering a year which, I am convinced, will be much better for Serbia — a year of internal consolidation and improved cooperation among different actors and segments of our society. At the same time, we remain open to suggestions and ideas on how to further advance this process,” Đurić concluded.

Secretary General of the Council of Europe Alain Berset expressed his satisfaction at having had the opportunity, at this important moment for Europe and the world, to hold substantive and constructive discussions with Serbian officials.

He noted that the Council of Europe, with its 46 equal member states committed to the principles of democracy and the rule of law, must in light of recent developments on the global stage reflect on the future development of the organization and consider how to strengthen its platform for peaceful relations and robust multilateralism, with the aim of resolving conflicts and preventing similar situations in the future.

Speaking about the active role of the Council of Europe Office in Belgrade, Berset emphasized that cooperation with the Republic of Serbia is very good and that joint steps are being taken toward progress and possible accession to the European Union.

Regarding the endangered rights of the Serbian and other non-Albanian communities in Kosovo and Metohija, Berset stated that the Council of Europe takes all discussions concerning human rights and the implementation of rights very seriously and will continue working to improve relations through dialogue and compromise.