Tadić expects faster EU integration

Boris Tadic expects the easing of the economic crisis to be accompanied by the faster EU integration of the West Balkans, once the European elections are over. The president said that he was sure that the enlargement process, covering the Western Balkan states, was likely to pick up pace once again once the economic crisis began to abate and following the end of this year’s election cycle in certain EU member-states. Tadic expects faster EU integration The president told state broadcaster RTS that political membership in the EU had no alternative. According to Tadic , last week’s visit by U.S. Vice-President Joe Biden was of vital importance for Serbia’s European integration. In that context, it was also important that Biden had offered open support to Serbia's EU integration on behalf of the Washington administration, underlining that it would not be conditioned on Serbian recognition of Kosovo independence or membership of NATO, he stressed. Guests on B92’s political talk show “Utisak Nedelje” agreed that relations between Belgrade and Washington would play a big role in Serbia’s further European path. “In effect, it means as follows—obviously, the U.S. is not an EU member, obviously they don’t vote there, and obviously they have no right of veto, everyone knows that, but they do hold a lot of sway in many European countries, not to mention the whole Union," said former Serbian Ambassador to the U.S. Ivan Vujacic. “There’s no doubt that if they were against it or had a particularly negative position vis-à-vis our country for some reason, that it would handicap us on that path,” Vujacic said. "And I think it’s most significant that they support those aspirations of ours, that they want cooperation in certain areas where we can cooperate,” said Goran Pitic, chairman of the Economic, Finance and Administration Faculty Council. “If our partnerships not just with NATO, but in general with countries that mean something in the world, guarantee that we’re a part of the arrangement with the IMF, part of the World Trade Organization, if we can get support from someone who’s strong for us to move more quickly to the EU, then those are all direct, not indirect effects, and America is a player that’s vital if those things are to move faster," he said. Defense Minister Dragan Sutanovac said that it was naïve to expect “to feel any changes in your life the day after one meeting." “In the same way, it’s naïve to expect that you can sit down and wait and think that something will just happen,” said Sutanovac. “I agree with everything Goran's said here, but we need to find an essence and sense as to why someone would help us, why they would open those European doors," he said. Meanwhile, as regards Biden’s visit to the region, Tadic said that no-one could expect Serbia to ask the Bosnian Serbs to stop insisting on compliance with the Dayton Accords and Bosnia-Herzegovina’s division into entities foreseen by the agreement. “The survival of the two entities in Bosnia cannot be called into question, but what relations are like between the two entities, that’s a matter of an agreement between the peoples that live there,” said the president. Boris Tadic (FoNet, archive) DM: Biden’s visit sign of respect Defense Minister Dragan Sutanovac says that U.S. Vice President Joe Biden’s visit constituted a “sign of respect” for the Serbian defense system. The minister told B92 that “Biden’s recent visit to the ministry is a sign of respect for the entire Serbian defense system." Sutanovac told B92 that “last year was full of challenges, with a high level of risk and looming threats, but we successfully did our job and ensured security for our citizens.” He said that “this has shown that the defense system is under both democratic and civil control.” Sutanovac stressed that “the level of military cooperation between Serbia and the U.S. thus far has been a pillar in relations between the two countries.”

Tadić expects faster EU integration

The president told state broadcaster RTS that political membership in the EU had no alternative.

According to Tadić , last week’s visit by U.S. Vice-President Joe Biden was of vital importance for Serbia’s European integration.

In that context, it was also important that Biden had offered open support to Serbia's EU integration on behalf of the Washington administration, underlining that it would not be conditioned on Serbian recognition of Kosovo independence or membership of NATO, he stressed.

Guests on B92’s political talk show “Utisak Nedelje” agreed that relations between Belgrade and Washington would play a big role in Serbia’s further European path.

“In effect, it means as follows—obviously, the U.S. is not an EU member, obviously they don’t vote there, and obviously they have no right of veto, everyone knows that, but they do hold a lot of sway in many European countries, not to mention the whole Union," said former Serbian Ambassador to the U.S. Ivan Vujačić.

“There’s no doubt that if they were against it or had a particularly negative position vis-à-vis our country for some reason, that it would handicap us on that path,” Vujačić said.

"And I think it’s most significant that they support those aspirations of ours, that they want cooperation in certain areas where we can cooperate,” said Goran Pitić, chairman of the Economic, Finance and Administration Faculty Council.

“If our partnerships not just with NATO, but in general with countries that mean something in the world, guarantee that we’re a part of the arrangement with the IMF, part of the World Trade Organization, if we can get support from someone who’s strong for us to move more quickly to the EU, then those are all direct, not indirect effects, and America is a player that’s vital if those things are to move faster," he said.

Defense Minister Dragan Šutanovac said that it was naïve to expect “to feel any changes in your life the day after one meeting."

“In the same way, it’s naïve to expect that you can sit down and wait and think that something will just happen,” said Šutanovac.

“I agree with everything Goran's said here, but we need to find an essence and sense as to why someone would help us, why they would open those European doors," he said.

Meanwhile, as regards Biden’s visit to the region, Tadić said that no-one could expect Serbia to ask the Bosnian Serbs to stop insisting on compliance with the Dayton Accords and Bosnia-Herzegovina’s division into entities foreseen by the agreement.

“The survival of the two entities in Bosnia cannot be called into question, but what relations are like between the two entities, that’s a matter of an agreement between the peoples that live there,” said the president.

DM: Biden’s visit sign of respect

Defense Minister Dragan Šutanovac says that U.S. Vice President Joe Biden’s visit constituted a “sign of respect” for the Serbian defense system.

The minister told B92 that “Biden’s recent visit to the ministry is a sign of respect for the entire Serbian defense system."

Šutanovac told B92 that “last year was full of challenges, with a high level of risk and looming threats, but we successfully did our job and ensured security for our citizens.”

He said that “this has shown that the defense system is under both democratic and civil control.”

Šutanovac stressed that “the level of military cooperation between Serbia and the U.S. thus far has been a pillar in relations between the two countries.”