We're ready for compromise after Pristina revokes taxes: Vucic and Borrell meet in Belgrade

After the meeting, Vucic and Borrell addressed the media

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell arrived in Belgrade today for a two-day visit, during which he will hold a series of meetings with the Serbian state leadership and representatives of political parties and civil society. At noon on Friday he met with President Aleksandar Vucic, and after the meeting they addressed the public. Borrell will also talk speak with Prime Minister Ana Brnabic.

After the meeting, Vucic and Borrell addressed the media.

EU foreign policy Josep Borrell said that he conveyed to Vucic the need for Serbia's foreign policy to be programmatically aligned with EU's foreign policy, and in this respect to really move closer, that is, to say that Serbia and the EU speak, as he said, "with one voice."

The president of Serbia commented directly on this issue, saying that Serbia is unquestionably on a European path and that we do not hide that from our partners in Russia and China, but also that we will continue cooperation with those countries.

Vucic pointed out to Borrell that Serbia doesn't have as good cooperation with Russia and China as Germany, France, Austria and other Western countries, which have up to 1,000 times more trade with Russia than we do.

"These countries should help us to achieve the same, insead of showing concern about Serbia's relations with Russia and China," concluded Vucic.

"Borrell didn't ask us today to stop lobbying"

President Aleksandar Vucic said that the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, did not today demand that Belgrade stop lobbying for the withdrawal of recognitions of Kosovo's independence, which is a demand of the US and some European countries.

Vucic also stressed that Belgrade is ready to discuss this if Pristina stops working on its campaign to secure recognitions - but reiterated that he does not accept putting an equation sign between Pristina's decision to impose taxes on goods from Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Belgrade's lobbying in some countries to withdraw their recognition of Kosovo's independence.

"We have the situation where half the world's countries have recognized Kosovo and half have not. We are ready to talk, if you won't be working on the recognition campaign, and although you have a small chance of finding some country that might recognize you - here, we won't work on this, but we don't want what cannot be measured to be measured against the other... in other words, there won't be something for nothing, only something for something," said Vucic.

Vucic said we also need to understand why Americans and some European countries have such demands.

He thinks it's because they don't want differences to be seen in the Western Balkans.

"It's somewhat easier for us, because we are going faster and better, and they don't want us not to gain an advantage anywhere... If they could they would put all six somewhere, so that the difference between us isn't visible, that would be the best for them," said Vucic.

He added that he isn't running away from Serbia being together with everyone in the region, but also that distinction still has to be made about who is ahead in the European integration process and who has fallen behind, who is ahead in economic and all other results, and who lags behind.

He says Belgrade must talk to Pristina in any case.

"Neither will the Albanians give up their independence, nor will the European countries that recognized Kosovo change their stance, nor will they force the countries that have not recognized Kosovo to recognize it before the Belgrade-Pristina deal. This is a difficult situation for us, we must fight to improve the position of Serbia, and without removing borders there is no strengthening of the Serbian economy," said Vucic.

Vucic said that the authorities in Serbia did not introduce taxes even in 2008 when Kosovo declared independence and asked who the current Pristina government thinks it is to do it now.

"We need peace"

We need peace, and there have been many missed chances to reach a compromise with the Albanians, said President Aleksandar Vucic today, pointing out that this was not Serbia's fault.

He thus responded when asked whether a change in the dialogue strategy has been discussed, since there have been no results so far because Pristina is only interested in the status issue, without making concessions.

"We spoke about the missed opportunities and what was possible, which is why I think we will have a far worse and more difficult solution in the future than it could have been two or three years ago," the president of Serbia said at a press conference with EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell.

He said he could not understand the attacks from different EU countries and others when he set out to talk about a possible solution, although he knew that trying to untangle the Kosovo knot brings the heaviest burden possible.

"There is no one in our country and in the European Union, except the High Representative of the EU, who hasn't uttered the worst words, abominations, untruths about me, Serbia, but also about the Albanians. It was as if this didn't concern us and the Albanians. And it concerns only us - Serbs and Albanians, and only Serbs and Albanians should decide on anything. Everyone else was deciding and lecturing us about Pandora's box, which they would open in case of a solution that's beyond what they wanted," he explained.

Vucic recalled that to his question why they opened Pandora's box by recognizing Kosovo in 2008 and bombing Serbia in 1999, he has not received an answer even today, just as he has not received an answer today why Serbs in Montenegro do not have the same rights as Albanians in North Macedonia.

"I can ask five million times and there will always be a wall of silence. There is no real answer and no one can invent and find it. We must learn from this, learn that we are perceived as losers, and to pay a heavy price for the events of the 1990s in order to be a part of the civilized world. What we will accept, is up to us. It is in our interest to have a conversation, to reach a compromise solution," he said.

He said that it did not occur to him to give up, not to seek or participate, that is, not to fight for talks and a compromise solution.

He recalled that Serbia had many dead in the 1990s, 1940s, in the First World War and early in the last century, and that it is time for our children to grow up, work, build here, and maintain peace.

"That's the essence of everything," he emphasized.

He said few are aware that the biggest demonstrations held in Belgrade happened not in 2011 or on April 19, but in 1908, when Austria-Hungary annexed Bosnia-Herzegovina.

"It was heard then, 'give us rifles' and there were 200,000 people. But some smart man said war was not needed and that was Stojan Novakovic and we avoided war then. But we didn't avoid any later on. We pay a heavy price for that, which is why there are so few of us today, our territory is empty, and people are leaving. It's time to offer them a different perspective," Vucic said.

He expressed his gratitude to Borrell for his words of encouragement for the desire to preserve peace.

He also referred to yesterday's report by the European Commission, which noted that Serbia's strong growth is "driving" the economy of the entire region.

"Our growth is higher than than in the European Commission report. They didn't have data from December, and at that time our growth was 6.7 percent. That can't be done without peace and stability," he explained.

He recalled that Serbia has overtaken BiH in terms of wages, caught up with Montenegro and will overtake everyone but that this is all thanks to work, he said, adding that it required peace and security, not caskets.

"But that doesn't mean we will allow a humiliation of our people," Vucic concluded.

The situation in Montenegro

"We will always be with our people, but we must respect and know that there is another country. I express a negative stance, and that (arrest) doesn't make sense, but I don't know what happened. All I can say is that it's hard for me and I regret it, that man is a member our nation," said Vucic.

Speaking about the situation in Montenegro and the arrest that took place this morning, Borrell said he was not aware of the specific case, while the Serbian president said he would wait to see a report with the details.

Asked by reporters how he will bring Belgrade and Pristina back to the negotiating table and what the EU has to offer to Pristina, as Pristina's focus seems to be on the US because their main objective is a chair in the UN, Borrell said there was no difference between the US and the EU when it comes to the approach to the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue.

"Washington is very powerful, but they cannot offer Kosovo a chair in the UN, there are other countries, not only EU countries but China, Russia and they have a say. Everyone understands that it is up to the Security Council, that Kosovo must be recognized by all members," he said.

Address by EU foreign policy chief

"I hope that the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina will resume soon," EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said today after talking with President Aleksandar Vucic in Belgrade. He said that when that happens, the EU will be ready to continue mediating in the dialogue.

Borrell stressed that it was not up to the EU to decide what the outcome of the dialogue would be, instead this was up to Belgrade and Pristina - but that the EU must be more involved in mediation than in recent months.

For him, he says, the Western Balkans is a part of Europe, and more than that, it should be a part of the EU, geographically, culturally, through economic ties, and most importantly, because of the citizens' aspirations.

That is why, he said, he is visiting the region and started in Pristina, because there is important work to be done as talks between Belgrade and Pristina need to be relaunched.

"I suggested that the EU appoint a special mediator in the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, because I believe they will be very engaged, and I'm not sure that I will have enough time to always be involved in this process," Borrell said and added that "comprehensive normalization of relations between Belgrade and Pristina" is needed.

He expressed his belief that future prospects regarding the EU depend, above all, on the Belgrade-Pristina deal.

The EU foreign policy chief also said that he told Vucic he saw Serbia as a key EU partner and that during this visit he wanted to convey how committed the EU is to Serbia's EU accession process.

According to him, the process should be faster and greater efforts should be made by both Serbia and the EU.

He recalled that the European Union has given Serbia almost 12.5 billion euros in grants in the last 10 years.

Borrell said that he conveyed to Vucic the need for Serbia's foreign policy to be programmatically aligned with EU's foreign policy, and in this respect to really move closer, that is, to say that Serbia and the EU speak "with one voice."

Borrell said he also discussed security issues related to the Middle East and Libya with Vucic, and thanked Serbia for its participation in EU missions in Somalia, Mali, the Central African Republic, where Serbian soldiers, he said, work closely with European colleagues.

Address by the president of Serbia

"Our entire region has gotten a sincere friend and a man who will be honest with us, we will have some more conversations, hopefully not under the magnifying glass of the public," he said of Borrell.

Vucic said that they discussed all important issues, the economy, and that he asked Borrell to do something outside the usual rules of the EU and consider some different solutions in the future.

"If we cannot join the EU, at least we should have no borders with the European Union, it would be easier for our people, for our economy, te business. The Serbian economy is the fastest growing," he said.

"He reiterated what the EU has said numerous times, which is that without a solution in the dialogue with Pristina the European perspective of Serbia does not exist," said Vucic. He said Serbia was ready to for a compromise after Pristina abolishes its taxes on Serbian goods.

Vucic said he was grateful to Borrell for personally engaging in the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina.

Meeting with Vucic

EU foreign policy chief arrived at the Serbian Presidency to meet with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic. The meeting began at around noon and was also attended by Minister for European Integration Jadranka Joksimovic and Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia Sem Fabrizi.

Welcome at the Presidency

President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic greeted Josep Borrel in front of the Presidency building.

"It is an honor to welcome you," wrote the president of Serbia on his Instagram profile @buducnostsrbijeav, where he shared photos from the welcome of the EU foreign policy chief.

Borrell arrives in Belgrade

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell arrived in Belgrade and was greeted at the Nikola Tesla airport by Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic.

In a cordial meeting, Dacic welcomed Borrell and the successful meetings he will have with top officials of our country, the Foreign Ministry said.

Borrell, who is on his first official visit to Belgrade, was scheduled to first speak with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic.

A meeting between Borrell and Prime Minister Ana Brnabic was scheduled for 3:30 pm.

Borrell, who was in Pristina on Thursday, said ahead of his arrival that his first official visit to the Western Balkans demonstrates EU's commitment to the region's perspective, stability, security and prosperity. He also said that the Western Balkans would be a priority during his term as EU foreign policy chief.

(Telegraf.rs/Tanjug)