Djuric: Balkans, EU accession special focus of Taormina summit

TAORMINA - Serbian FM Marko Djuric said the Balkans and EU accession of Balkan states had been a special focus of Thursday's ministerial meeting in Taormina, Italy.

Djuric noted that it had not been a routine meeting of FMs, but a very direct discussion about challenges facing Europe, the Serbian MFA said in a statement.

The summit was hosted by Italy to mark the 70th anniversary of the historic Messina Conference, one of the key events for the establishment of the EU.

"I conveyed the position that, for us, EU membership of Balkan states, in fact, represents a kind of a Shakespearean dilemma for the Balkan states and the EU itself, almost a case of 'To be, or not to be,' both when it comes to security and economic development, given our region's enormous growth potential. I sent an unequivocal message that Serbia is also ready to go upstream when it comes to building bridges of cooperation among states and nations in the region," Djuric said.

"There were also attempts, especially by a Pristina representative, to malign Serbia, in a way, through references to a negative historical context," Djuric said.

"We responded to that in a very dignified manner and sent a clear message that we will not convince anyone of EU enlargement in the Balkans if we attack, insult and disparage each other, and that we, too, can certainly do the same much more efficiently, but that we choose a different path and choose to demonstrate in a different way the values we are committed to," Djuric said.

Serbia, as a country that is the central Balkan state and accounts for 52 pct of the region's economy, represents an indispensable link and must play an important role in our part of Europe, Djuric noted.

He added that he had had a series of good bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the conference, especially with colleagues from the region.

He highlighted a meeting with the Maltese FM, given Malta's Council of Europe (CoE) presidency, and said it was very important for Serbia that the issue of the position and the plight of Serbs in the Autonomous Province of Kosovo-Metohija be taken into account in the decision-making process regarding further steps in the CoE.