Serbia "ready for compromise in dialogue"

Source: Beta, Tanjug

BELGRADE -- Serbia’s President Tomislav Nikolić has stated that Serbia was ready for compromise solutions in the dialogue with Priština.

Mirko Cvetković, Tomislav Nikolić and Vuk Jeremić (Tanjug)

He said that Serbia had shown a constructive approach and good will in the Belgrade-Priština dialogue, “and intends to do so in the future even though it has not often been met with an adequate response of the other side or understanding of the international mediators”.
“Serbia remains open for talks on all issues and it is ready for compromise solutions,” the president stressed at the opening of the South-East Europe Cooperation Process (SEECP) Summit in Belgrade on Friday.

According to him, the Kosovo issue is very sensitive for Serbia “but the country has been trying to secure a better life of ordinary people living in the province in a pragmatic and flexible way”.

“Peace and stability have so far been preserved primarily thanks to Serbia’s constructive approach. Serbia’s principled position on the future of Kosovo and Metohija remains unchanged. We will never explicitly or implicitly recognize its unilaterally declared independence. This is a constitutional imperative and our moral, historical and above all democratic duty,” Nikolić pointed out.

Addressing delegations from 12 countries of the region in English, the Serbian president repeated that an agreement on Kosovo’s regional representation and cooperation had been reached in the dialogue which secured participation of all parties in regional meetings and Priština’s asymmetrical representation.

He stressed that Serbia remained committed to improvement of relations with its neighbors and the countries in the region.

The president added that he would personally advocate that the regional cooperation be one of the country’s key priorities.

Nikolić noted that “Serbia continues to go down the EU integration pathway by improving, reforming and changing systems that are halting its development and prosperity”.