Serbian First Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic said late on Monday, after the latest round of Belgrade-Pristina talks, that the best possible results were achieved for Serbia under difficult conditions, in terms of the judiciary in Kosovo-Metohija (KiM).
The talks on judiciary have practically reached the end, Vucic told RTS, and their finalization is expected in the next round of the dialogue after the new Serbian government is formed, which Vucic expects to take place in late April.
There is nothing there to boast about and nothing that the other side could boast about, said Vucic. “Within the set framework, we have achieved the best result for the people of Serbia,” he said, clarifying that the president of the Mitrovica court will certainly be a Serb from the north of KiM, that the ratio of judges in northern Kosovska Mitrovica will be 60-40, and that the Serbs will account for two-thirds of the employees.
Vucic expects that after the formation of the Serbian government, on April 27 at the latest, the final agreement on judiciary will be reached in Brussels which, as he noted, is important for Serbia in terms of relaxation of all other issues in the relations with the EU.
It was also pointed out that Serbian citizenship of the Serbs in KiM cannot be revoked and that it cannot be the ground for leaving them out of the electoral register, said Vucic, adding that no Serb would then be able to take part in such elections.
We also discussed the reserved seats (in the Kosovo parliament), but no agreement was reached on that matter, said Vucic, adding that he expects Ashton to visit Belgrade as soon as the new Serbian government is formed.
Referring to the topic of Russia and Ukraine, Vucic emphasized that he has conveyed the position of Serbia to the EU High Representative – we respect the territorial integrity of all UN member states, but those who stepped on our integrity cannot be the ones to talk about it.
“We will not impose any sanctions on Russia because we do not want to turn against those who did not impose sanctions on Serbia even when it was bombed,” he stressed.
We will not participate in the sanctions, said Vucic, adding that the EU understands this, and that Serbia has its integrity, pride, and people who elect their government, which is not without a stance and which respects integrity.
As far as the future government is concerned, Vucic’s message to the people of Serbia is that a difficult year is ahead of us, but he is convinced that through hard work and efforts we can achieve great results.
Ashton: Judiciary deal to be finalized in next meeting
High EU Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton said late on Monday, upon completion of the 23. round of the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, that she is pleased that the two sides nearly completed the talks on judiciary, emphasizing that the agreement will be finalized in the next meeting.
We have continued work on the matters related to the implementation of the Brussels agreement. In this context, I wish to express my satisfaction at the fact that the two sides have nearly completed the talks on judiciary. Having in mind the necessary harmonization, the agreement will be finalized in the next meeting, states the release.
Aston noted that the two sides also discussed the next steps within the dialogue and agreed to meet again soon.
