Vucic: We confirmed commitment to EU path, I pointed to difficult position of Kosovo-Metohija Serbs

NEW YORK - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Thursday he had met with many world leaders in New York and that, in discussions with European officials, Serbia had confirmed its commitment to the EU path and to continuing and accelerating its reforms, as well as that he had pointed to the difficult position of Serbs in Kosovo-Metohija.

"In all those discussions, above all, in the most important ones, the ones with EU leaders, we confirmed our commitment to the EU path, to continuing and accelerating reforms. We also discussed - in a remarkably democratic way, I would say - some disagreements, but we unequivocally confirmed Serbia's desire to accelerate its EU path," Vucic told reporters.

He said he had reiterated his initiative regarding dialogue in Serbia also to Council of Europe Secretary General Alain Berset.

"I believe everyone understood that message well. We also discussed the situation in the region, the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, above all, as regards Republika Srpska and Serbia's attitude towards all that. Of course, we discussed the situation in Kosovo-Metohija with everyone, I pointed to the difficult position of the Serbs and to what has been going on since Kurti's rise to power, and to everything that happened before that, but, particularly, to what has been going on since that moment," Vucic said.

He noted that he had also spoken about Serbia's policy - a policy of peace, stability and the future - as well as about EXPO 2027 Belgrade.

He said he had also had a two-hour discussion with European Council President Antonio Costa.

"I had a discussion with the German FM. We had a discussion with UN Secretary General (Antonio) Guterres, and with the president of Congo. We had; I would say, a long and serious discussion with EU foreign policy and security chief Kaja Kallas, and a discussion with the UK's Deputy PM David Lammy," Vucic said.

Later in the day, he also met with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss, among other matters, a Serbia-Israel FTA, as well as with UAE Deputy PM and FM Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan and other officials.