"EU is our key goal; as many chapters as soon as possible"

Another goal is to open as many EU accession negotiations chapter as possible as soon as possible, Dacic told a meeting of the Ministerial Council of the Adriatic-Ionian Initiative and the Ministerial Meeting of the EU Strategy for the Adriatic-Ionian Region, held in Catania, Sicily.

"Serbia has proven to be an equal and reliable partner to the EU in the earlier years, and we are pleased that this fact was recognized, considering the amount of the political effort put to that end," he said.

"Serbia is committed to the accession process in the context of which it has opened twelve negotiating chapters so far. It is our objective to open as many chapters we are prepared for as possible in the shortest timeframe possible, so that the entire governmental administration could focus on our key and overarching goal, that is, full membership of the European Union," he said.

To Serbia, as well as others in the Western Balkans, an unhindered continuation of the integration process, above all a process of long and difficult reforms, is of utmost importance as we convey our expectation that unequivocal support and understanding will come from all of the EU member states, Dacic said, adding: "A progress made in the EU integration process by each of us individually has a positive impact on all the others in the region."

"We believe that the EU Enlargement Policy is one of the vital instruments of the Union, not only in the context of stabilizing the region and underpinning its economic prosperity, but also towards achieving stability and security of the EU as a whole, which was, it is my hope, unequivocally affirmed again at the recent EU-WB Summit in Sofia, reflected in the reality that full membership of the EU is the only strategic...