Croat PM: Not right that Serbia negotiates before Albania

Source: Tanjug

ZAGREB -- Croatian Prime Minister Zoran Milanović has said that it is "not right" that Serbia is starting EU accession negotiations while Albania is not.

(Tanjug, file)

He promised the latter "help in this process."
"Our position is that Albania should, as have other countries in the region, start accession negotiations as soon as possible, and that is also our position in European bodies," Milanović said, recalling at the same time that Croatia "has only one vote" there.

"But that voice will be heard. Moderately, reasonably, but it will be heard," he said at a joint press conference with Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, Hina reported.

Albania had hoped to start EU talks in December 2013, and since that did not happen, the country believes this will take place in June, which the Croatian prime minister thinks is "realistic."

"Of course, in politics, you cannot always be guided only by rational criteria, unfortunately that's how it is, but if a country is a member of NATO, this means that it at least has the army as part of the state apparatus which is in accordance with high international standards.," Milanović said, and added:

"Therefore, it deserves to have a chance to at least negotiate membership in the EU."

"We will oppose prejudice," he continued, and said that European policies "are often under pressure from regional ethnic prejudices."

"We will strongly oppose it, because we ourselves have been exposed to such an approach," Milanović was quoted as saying.

Rama agreed that "prejudice is the problem."

"Prejudice is the reason why we were not given (EU) candidate status in December, but the process of reform, modernization and convergence with the EU has no alternative. We are thus becoming a better country and our people will live better. Regardless of whether it happens in June or later, we will continue the changes as they are good," he said.

Rama said that Croatia's EU accession and the Brussels agreement between Belgrade and Priština were "the two most important events of last year," which, he believes "indicate that gradually cooperation across the region is taking place."