State Secretary in the Serbian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Veljko Odalović told RTS that Serbia expects at least neutrality from its neighbours, regarding the vote on Kosovo’s entry into UNESCO.
Veljko Odalović, visiting the RTS program, said that FYROM, for no reason, in recent months has been changing its relationship and policy towards Serbia.
“Serbia is absolutely someone who invests a lot in good neighbourly relations and someone who is the bearer of all positive flows in regional development and cooperation, aware that without such cooperation the whole space is in much bigger problem. Serbia offers its neighbours a hand and this is what sometimes hurts when with all these positive and open messages you encounter a high level of misunderstanding like in Macedonia,” said Odalović.
He notes that the attitude towards the embassy staff in FYROM is worse than the relationship of some “countries with which you have disputes” because, as he says, these countries show more respect towards diplomatic representatives.
Odalović estimates that the withdrawal of staff from the Embassy in Skopje is a reasonable message and very clear in diplomatic circles.
“We will use the next ten days to carry out internal consolidation, and prepare with our staff to return, from the aspect of security and everything that has happened,” Odalović pointed out.
Commenting on a statement by the FYROM government saying that during the vote on Kosovo’s membership in UNESCO, the position of most EU member states will be considered, Odalović said that such a position is irresponsible.
“UNESCO is not an organization of European character, and even EU members do not support such an attitude. The least we expected from our neighbours is neutrality,” Odalović said.
