‘Serbia can get the candidate status until the end of the year but that shall be very difficult for the date. I think we all have to fight for that, Serbia in the first place and then Slovenia and all others that can help and give arguments why it is good that Serbia continues moving on the EU path. I think that Serbia has done a lot and I always point out that negotiations last six-seven years that the dialog with Kosovo shall give results in that period and that situation shall be easier. Therefore there is no sense in placing hurdles on Serbia’s path as early as today’, Samuel Zbogar, Slovenian Foreign Minister says for ‘Blic’.
Q: Why is Slovenia giving such strong support to Serbia regarding European integration?
‘Serbian and Slovenian governments think similarly and that is why we should act together. I also see the need that Serbia gets the status and the date. I think that expectations in Serbia in view of everything that has been done so far, in the first place arrest of the last two war crimes suspects are justified and that people are expecting with reason that Europe extends a hand and give confirmation for those efforts. We think that Serbia has done enough and that it should be given not only the candidate status but the date as well. That is good for the atmosphere not only here but in the whole region’.
Q: After arrest of Mladic and Hadzic people in Serbia were convinced that there would be no problem in getting the candidate status and the date?
‘Even in Slovenia there was euphoria. We said ‘finally it is over’ but then there occurred violence in the north of Kosovo and harsh messages by Angela Merkel. I think, however that her intention was to stimulate Serbia to speed up negotiations with Pristina so that agreement over concrete issues is reached. It is good that the dialog has been continued’.
Q: How shall you and Prime Minister Borut Pahor support further progress by Serbia on its path to the EU?
‘We do not have a magic stick. We shall work as until so far. We shall convey our stance why the enlargement onto the Balkans is good but we shall try in other ways, too. We are talking with the EU members and we intend to talk even more. I think that the large number of countries in the EU especially the newer members, is inclined to enlargement. I would not talk in advance about some other concrete steps. First I have to see how successful they are going to be. Anyway you should not doubt in our sincere support’.
Q: Will you try to make influence on Poland, the EU chairing country to support Serbia and lobby for it with other members for both the status and the date?
‘We are all waiting for the EC report now. We shall see what the EC is going to say what you have fulfilled until so far. I think it is good that Poland is the chairing country since it is promoting the EU enlargement’.
Q: WikiLeaks posted a message in which Angela Merkel had told Boris Tadic in 2009 that Serbia shall not join the EU before 2019. What do you say to that?
‘It is 2011 today. If negotiations begin in 2012 then that is very quickly. For fully-fledged membership the year of 2019 is o.k.’.
Q: The impression is that relations between Serbia and Slovenia have never been better. Do you think so?
‘We always had good relations, except the period when we recognized Kosovo. It is quite natural that we cooperate well. Apart from that on a personal scale I have very good relations with Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic. The same can be said for relations between Prime Minister Pahor and President Tadic’.
Source blic.rs
