Dacic hosts New Year reception for gov't ministers, foreign diplomats

BELGRADE - Serbia's diplomatic activities will remain focused on its foreign policy priorities - preservation of sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as full EU membership, FM Ivica Dacic said on Friday at a traditional Orthodox New Year reception for government ministers and foreign diplomats.

He said the priorities also included development of good-neighbourly relations and regional cooperation, advancement of bilateral ties with all countries and, in particular, cherishing of traditional friendships.

Dacic said world peace was under threat and that the Ukraine war had turned into a global conflict with enormous consequences for the entire world, and added that Serbia was advocating peace and respect of universal principles of international law.

"Preservation of sovereignty and territorial integrity is the priority of our state order and our foreign policy activities are being guided by the state accordingly," he said.

Dacic said Serbia was surprised by selective interpretations of international law, and thanked states that did not recognise the so-called Kosovo's unilaterally declared independence as well as those that had corrected their positions on the matter or would do so in the future.

He reiterated any attempt to solve the Kosovo issue was possible only through establishing a mechanism of dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina.

There are three red lines for Serbia - the first one is that everything that has been signed to date must be implemented, including UN SC Resolution 1244, the Brussels Agreement - in particular the section on establishment of a Community of Serb Municipalities - the Washington Agreement and other agreements, he said.

The second red line is that Serbia cannot recognise the so-called Kosovo as independent or agree to Pristina's UN membership, and the third one is that the rights and full safety of Kosovo-Metohija Serbs must be ensured, he said.

He said a solution to the issue must be based on compromise, with full respect of Serbia's positions and interests, and added that the Pristina leadership deliberately continued to cause tensions, creating an atmosphere of mistrust.

"We will continue a strong engagement towards maintaining peace and stability, we will continue to defend international law," Dacic said.

He said Serbia still believed full EU membership was attainable and that the Thessaloniki pledge was a realistic and achievable objective.

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