Serbian and Italian Foreign Affairs Parliaments Delegations Meet

At the very beginning of the meeting, Ragus expressed her satisfaction with the meeting, emphasising that these meeting formats always aim at an open and constructive dialogue and assessed that the diplomatic relations between Italy and Serbia are at an enviable level. The Committee Chairperson opened the meeting with the subject of Serbia's European integration, saying even after more than twenty years of waiting for membership in the European Union, this issue remains our country's main foreign policy. "Our southern province, that is, the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, remains a sensitive issue. As for Serbia, it is the constructive side in the dialogue, as confirmed by President Aleksandar Vucic's frequent participation in the dialogue itself. I have to apostrophise that Serbia, for its part, by signing the 2013 Brussels Agreement, fulfilled all of its obligations, and has for 11 years been waiting for the Pristina side to fulfill only one, which is the establishment of a Community of Serb Municipalities. I know that for you it is not an argument that we do not recognise so-called Kosovo, but what is an argument is the protection of human and minority rights, which is of great importance for our population," said Ragus. She added that in the 21st century, Serbs in Kosovo-Metohija have been deprived of all basic human and civil rights. She mentioned the incidents that the Serbian population faces every day, from arrests at administrative crossings, shooting at children during Christian holidays, desecration of Serbian monasteries and holy places, seizure of property from the Serbian population, violation of the Brussels Agreement at every step, the abolition of the Serbian dinar and denial of the right to vote in elections. She also spoke about the incident in Banjska, even though, she said, the President of the country, Aleksandar Vucic, had warned QUINT on several occasions about the unbearable situation for the Serbs in Kosovo-Metohija, which eventually escalated. She said that Serbia has taken all legal actions in this matter, conducting the entire investigation in the process. She reminded that the last scheduled meeting between Albin Kurti and Aleksandar Vucic in Brussels did not even take place, because the Pristina representative did not want to participate in the dialogue. "It is no secret that Kurti's politics represents the concept of establishing a greater Albania, which we thought belonged to the past, and that he is trying to impose himself as the leader of the Albanians in the region with his willfulness, which further points to the fact that without the international community this problem cannot be solved". She said that there lies the challenge of our progress in European integration and that the citizens of Serbia understand that there are no sanctions for Kurti, and that a large number of conditions are placed before Serbia in the process of joining the European Union. In the conversation, she also mentioned the attempt at a geopolitical move to receive so-called Kosovo to the Council of Europe, where she used the opportunity to thank Italy for the principled position and support it gave to Serbia in this matter. Ragus also spoke about the adoption of the Resolution on Srebrenica at the UN General Assembly, stating that this move caused problems in the Bosniak community as well. She also condemned the attempted terrorist attack by a religious convert on the Israeli embassy in Belgrade, which was certainly not accidental and referred to the extraordinary opportunity to speak openly about radical Islam with Italy, which has experience in this area.

The head of the delegation of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Chamber of Deputies of the Republic of Italy Giulio Tremonti conveyed the message that Italy strongly supports the European integration of the Republic of Serbia, which will further deepen the ties between the two countries. He said that Serbia has a place in the European Union, because it is part of the European continent and that Italy hears and understands its position.

The members of the Italian delegation expressed the view that they see Serbia as a friend and added that they support the Serbian policy of peace and dialogue. They went on to say that Serbia's full membership in the EU would help to overcome major open geopolitical issues in Europe.

Members of the National Assembly Foreign Affairs Committee Jovan Palalic, Stefan Krkobabic and Vladimir Djordjevic used the opportunity to talk with their Italian colleagues about topics of mutual economic importance. They also discussed cooperation that extends to joint infrastructure projects, promoting regional connectivity. They opined that the strategic partnership encourages close cooperation in a number of areas, with the potential for further growth, especially in the context of Serbia's aspirations towards the EU.

At the end of the meeting, the officials agreed that they will continue to support mutual relations and strengthen economic, political and cultural ties.