“Serbia would most probably participate in a meeting of EU foreign affairs ministers and membership candidate states in Helsinki,” Foreign Affairs Minister Ivica Dacic said Tanjug news agency reports. The news agency recalled that outgoing EU High Representative Federica Mogherini invited Pristina representatives to this event as well.
Dacic added he would consult with the President Aleksandar Vucic about Serbia’s participation, underlining “a Gymnich format” would be respected in a meeting.
“We need to think well, how much it would pay off to us if we do not go, because it would turn out they would accuse us of not wanting continuation of a dialogue. We would most probably go,” Dacic said.
Dacic also explained that foreign affairs ministers of the EU membership candidate states are being invited to this meeting, but Federica Mogherini for the first time now, although nobody requested that from her, made the decision two days ago to invite to the meeting foreign affairs ministers of EU partners in the Western Balkans, so as Dacic said, Pristina could participate.
He underlined that Federica Mogherini made that decision with objection of Spain, assessing that she wishes to leave such a practice to her successor Josep Borrell.
“Until now Kosovo has never been invited because it is not a candidate state, it is not a state, it is defined in EU documents as a territory, along with an asterix because the status issue has not been resolved. Bulgaria during its chairing of the EU invited Kosovo for lunch, but not to the formal part. Now it is being invited for the first time. Is it an award for tariffs?” Dacic said.
Dacic also said that Federica Mogherini at the end of her mandate wanted to show she did something for Pristina, because they were attacking her, but it is not correct attitude towards Serbia now.
