PM: Serbia belongs in EU, "wants to be appreciated"

PM: Serbia belongs in EU, "wants to be appreciated"

BELGRADE -- Serbia belongs "to the line of EU member countries and wants to be appreciated in the same way it appreciates the EU," Prime Minister Aleksandar Vučić has said.

He made the statement late on Thursday after a meeting with outgoing EU Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fule.

The meeting between Vučić and Fule was held after a regional conference of ministers of foreign affairs and finance from Western Balkan countries, and Vučić noted that his talks with the guests from the EU covered the issue of political stability in Serbia and the region, economic reforms and Serbia's EU accession.

Vučić expressed gratitude to the EU for the support it provided to the country so far and underscored that Serbia has done and will continue to do everything it can to preserve stability.

He noted that any kind of instability suits only those who want to do harm to Serbia.

Stability suits us because we want Serbia to progress and develop, the prime minister noted and added that Serbia maintains a serious and responsible attitude not because it is weak but because such a stand is better for the country and the region.

Vučić said that he had talks with the guests from the EU concerning economic reforms as well which are painful but which are being implemented because Serbia wants to be a successful and normal country. He added that EU support is important for Serbia because nobody in the Union wants another country with weak economy as a member.

The third topic of the talks covered Serbia's EU accession, and the talks primarily focused on the ways for Serbia to achieve progress on its EU path, Vučić said.

Serbia is working...