“Issues should be solved through dialogue”

Source: Tanjug

BELGRADE -- Serbian and Romanian Prime Ministers Ivica Dačić and Victor Ponta agreed on Thursday the two countries' relations were friendly and supportive.

Victor Ponta and Ivica Dačić (Beta)

They also added that any issues should be settled through dialogue, not pressure.
Ponta told a news conference after the meeting with Dačić that his country remained in strong friendship with Serbia.

“Romania will in the future continue to act as Serbia's friend that can be counted on, he noted, adding he wished Romania and Serbia were not just neighbors and friends, but EU members as well,” he noted.

Dačić asked his Romanian counterpart for a positive and constructive stand regarding requests for suspension of the visa liberalization with Serbia, and Ponta responded that Bucharest was against the request.

“Ponta is the first prime minister to visit the new Serbian government, which is another confirmation of friendly and traditionally good relations between the two countries,” the Serbian PM stated.

“Romania is Serbia's great friend and Serbia is Romania's great friend,” he pointed out, adding that Romania was still the only country to threaten Serbia's candidate status.

“That must not happen again and problems should not be swept under the carpet anymore,” Dačić said.

“Serbia wants to solve the Vlach and Romanian minority issue as an integral part of its national equality policy,” he underscored.

“The relations between Serbia and Romania were not damaged by sanctions, bombing and Kosovo's independence, so we will not allow the Vlach issue to do it either,” the Serbian official noted.

Ponta stated he had led the opposition when Bucharest opposed giving Serbia the candidate status and criticized that view.

Ponta believes to this day that the issue of the Romanian national minority and Serbia's EU integration should not be connected, and that Romania should support Serbia in that process, and not pose an obstacle.

“It is important for Romania that all the rights enjoyed by the Serb national minority in Romania are also guaranteed for the Romanian minority in Serbia,” Ponta stressed.

“Serbia is aware of the pressure on Romania in terms of Kosovo and deeply thankful for Bucharest's choice not to recognize Kosovo's independence,” Dačić underscored.