Dacic:Conditions for Serb participation in polls must be met (Tanjug)
BELGRADE - BELGRADE - The Serbian government has not as yet voiced a position on Serb participation in the June 8 elections in Kosovo, but all the conditions for it must be met, Serbian First Deputy Prime Minister Ivica Dacic, who is also foreign minister, said on Sunday.
"We are not satisfied with the way Pristina is abusing what has been agreed in Brussels," Dacic told a press conference at the Foreign Ministry.
The government wants the Serbs to participate in the elections because it would be a good way to make their political role as significant as possible, Dacic said.
Serbia is maintaining a principled position on the Ukrainian crisis and Belgrade respects the territorial integrity of all UN member states, Serbian First Deputy Prime Minister Ivica Dacic, who is also foreign minister, said on Sunday.
We cannot impose restrictive measures on the Russian Federation, Dacic told reporters in the Foreign Ministry building, responding to a question whether Serbia is under pressure from the West to impose sanctions on Russia over the Ukrainian crisis.
Serbia will have to align its policy with that of the EU once it becomes an EU member, Dacic said.
"Serbia is not an EU member - if we were ready, we would already be one - and I also do not see unity among all European countries on that issue," Dacic said.
He said that Serbia has a constructive position and that there is no need to pressure it.
"We know what we want and what we do not want, as well as what we have and do not have to do," Dacic said, noting that it is "considered normal for Western countries to have excellent relations with Russia and China, while it is problematic for Serbia to have good relations with them."
Dacic also said that he has instructed Foreign Ministry officials to respect diplomatic reciprocity, and that the treatment of foreign diplomats in Serbia should reflect the treatment of Serbian diplomats in their respective countries.
"In some countries, our embassies cannot even get parking spots, and they want round-the-clock security here," Dacic said.
He also said that Serbia is under pressure aimed at preventing it from blocking Kosovo's admission to international organisations such as the Venice Commission.
"Serbia cannot prevent those admissions, but will not vote and applaud them," he said.
June is set to be a month of lively diplomatic activity for Serbia - Serbian First Deputy Prime Minister Ivica Dacic, who is also foreign minister, announced on Sunday that British EU minister David Lidington will arrive in Belgrade on Monday, with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov likely to pay a visit to Serbia on June 17.
The relations with Great Britain are of great significance to us - they have not improved much over the past years, and we have been urging the country constantly to find a common interest with us, Dacic told a press conference at the Foreign Ministry.
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu will visit Belgrade on June 10 to discuss, among other matters, Turkey's assistance to Serbia in dealing with the consequences of the recent catastrophic floods, Dacic said.
Dacic also said that he has invited Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to visit Serbia, and that June 17 is under consideration as the date of the visit.
"That is very important for Serbia and the relations with the Russian Federation are a foreign policy priority for us," Dacic said, adding that the Russian foreign minister last paid a visit to Serbia three years ago.
That is too long a period of time between bilateral visits exchanged with a country "that supports us the most," Dacic said.
Dacic also announced that Pietro Parolin, secretary of state of the Holy See, will be paying a visit to Serbia from June 27 to July 1.