The President of the Republic, Aleksandar Vucic, expressed his commitment to the European path of Serbia during the meeting he had today in Belgrade with the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen.

“Serbia’s European course is of key importance for progress and development and we will be committed to this course hoping that the results will come” assured Vucic in the joint press conference with Ms. Von der Leyen. He also said that there are good conditions to open Chapter 3 in the accession negotiations by the end of the year. Serbia has been a candidate for membership of the European Union since March 2012. It started accession negotiations in January 2014, but as of December 2021 no negotiating chapter has been opened.

The President of Serbia, although he repeated several times, at the press conference that European integration is a priority, he also stated that “Serbia will maintain traditionally good relations with other countries” meaning, obviously, Russia and China.

Aleksandar Vucic said the president of the European Commission asked Serbia for “much greater compliance with EU foreign policy declarations”.

Serbia refuses to impose sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine while government officials maintain close ties to Moscow.

With regard to Ukraine, Aleksandar Vucic announced that the Serbian embassy in Kyiv, which had been closed for staff security reasons, will reopen in March 2022.

Ursula von der Leyen said that Serbia has made the most progress in the accession process” and that there is a “solid basis to become a member of the EU”.

The president of the European Commission also commented on the fact that Aleksandar Vucic did not go to Kazan, Russia to participate in the BRICS summit.

“The arrival in Serbia the day before yesterday of the Prime Ministers of Greece and Poland as well as my presence here today are a clear indication that Serbia’s future is in the EU, where it will enjoy the rights and values ​​of membership in the Union” said Von der Leyen . While he meaningfully added that “Vucic’s decision to meet with European leaders and not go somewhere else speaks for itself.”

It is noted that the Serbian president was invited by Vladimir Putin to participate in the BRICS summit, but he cited the meeting with Prime Ministers Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Donald Tusk in order not to go. Serbia, however, was represented in Kazan by four ministers.

The president of the European Commission this afternoon had a scheduled meeting with the Prime Minister of Serbia Milos Vucevic, however she canceled this meeting because the Serbian Prime Minister, early in the afternoon, received the Russian Minister of Economic Development Maxim Resetnikov.

“After the meeting of the Prime Minister of Serbia with the Minister of Economy of the Russian Federation, the President of the Commission considered that there were no reasons to hold the meeting with the Prime Minister” reports the EU office in Belgrade.

Tomorrow, Ursula von der Leyen completes her tour of the Western Balkans with a visit to Kosovo and Montenegro.