Dacic: Serbia is ready for EU accession talks

BELGRADE - Serbia is ready for the negotiating process on EU membership, Serbian Minister of Foreign Affairs Ivica Dacic said on Thursday, during the talks with German Foreign Office Special Envoy for South-Eastern Europe, Turkey and the EFTA States Ernst Reichel.

Dacic emphasised Serbia's willingness to develop and improve its overall cooperation with Germany, adding that intensification of the political dialogue plays an important role in this domain, the Ministry released.

The Serbian minister expressed the expectation that Germany values as positive the Serbian government policy concerning the implementation of internal reforms, participation in the dialogue with Pristina and contribution to stabilisation in the region, as well as providing assistance and support to the negotiations on EU membership.

The two high officials discussed the topics in the area of bilateral cooperation, reforms, dialogue with Pristina, situation in the region as well as the impressions and expectations after the Conference on Western Balkan States which was staged in Berlin in late August at the initiative of German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

During the talks on the forthcoming Serbia's OSCE chairmanship, the Serbian minister welcomed the candidacy of Germany for the position of the OSCE chair after Serbia.

The cooperation through the format of the Troika, which would include Germany in addition to Switzerland and Serbia, could considerably contribute to the resolution of the current crisis in Ukraine.

Reichel visited Belgrade in order to take part in the Belgrade Security Forum.

Photo Tanjug/Ministry of Foreign Affairs