Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz spoke to journalists after the meeting in Berlin.
Source: B92
Tanjug/AP Photo/Michael Sohn
“We jointly declared that in our bilateral relations, mainly economic, we have made a big leap compared to last year, a record year,” Vucic said.
“Germany is Serbia’s largest partner, and Serbia is Germany’s largest partner in the Western Balkans.”
“The words of the Chancellor are important for us, who today repeatedly said that he is convinced of the European future of all the countries of the Western Balkans. He said, I quote, that this is not not a mirage, when you have a certain illusion and then it disappears,” he said.
“We talked about two important topics,” Vucic said. “We also talked about the attitude towards the war in Ukraine.”
“I spoke about all the problems Serbia faces,” Vucic said. As he says, they had a meaningful conversation about regional issues and the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
“I promised that Serbia would not be the cause of any problems, and Serbia keeps its word,” Vucic said.
“Tonight we continue the dialogue and I believe we will have the strength to move forward in the dialogue with Pristina,” Vucic said.
Asked whether Serbia would leave the Council of Europe if Kosovo became a member of the EC, that is, a member of NATO, Vui replied: “It is important for us that all this which has been written and signed is implemented”.
Scholz responded to the same question by saying: “I want Serbia to stay in the Council of Europe, that we are all together in the EU.”
Speaking about Serbia’s position on the issue of the conflict in Ukraine, Vucic said: “Regarding the legal and political nature of the conflict, we have made a clear statement. The only statement made by Serbia was unexpected, unlike all the others. On the way to the EU, we have an obligation to gradually align ourselves with EU positions. Serbia has a different attitude. Remember that Serbia has been under sanctions for ten years and that is why it has a different point of view on this issue.
“Serbia’s choice is to follow the European path, even if, according to polls in Serbia, it is not the most popular path.”
Scholz’s address
Tanjug/AP Photo/Michael Sohn
“We met earlier, when I was mayor of Hamburg. And then we had constructive discussions.”
“Personally, I will strive to improve the process of Serbia’s accession to the EU. It is in Germany’s interest that all Western Balkan countries are members of the European Union. We must together convey the message that the war in Ukraine is not acceptable.”
“Serbia must continue its reforms consistently.”
“I expressed my concerns to President Vui about the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is very important to maintain stability.” German Chancellor Olaf Scholz stressed that the topics of conversation were related to economic cooperation, bilateral relations, but also the situation in the region.
“It is important that Serbia remains on the path to the European Union. Our key topic was Kosovo, we know that a meeting will take place this evening,” Scholz concluded.