The EU representative in Belgrade played “good cop”
The White House representative had barely left Belgrade when the head of the EU delegation to Serbia, Emanuele Joffre, arrived for another round of negotiations.
At a meeting with the Speaker of Parliament [ a well-known Russophile ] Ivica Dačić, the Brussels official noted the importance of aligning Serbia's foreign policy with the positions of the European Union.
“In light of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, it is important that Serbia continues to harmonize its vision of the situation with the EU, including in the field of common foreign and security policy,” Joffre said.
A European official said the EU expects Serbia to form a new parliament and government with a strong mandate to implement the necessary reforms to move towards EU membership, Beta reported.
Dacic stated that Serbia is ready to continue full cooperation with the EU, its institutions and member states, and to work intensively to progress and accelerate the negotiation process, given that EU membership is a foreign policy priority and a strategic commitment of Belgrade.
The interlocutors pointed to the positive results of the work of the Serbian parliament at the moment, in particular the successful implementation of measures agreed upon in the inter-party dialogue through the mediation of the European Parliament. These include the participation of all political forces in the recent no-boycott elections, improved electoral conditions and judicial reforms achieved through cooperation with the Venice Commission.
Joffre thanked Dacic for his role as a facilitator of inter-party dialogue and welcomed the fact that all key political figures were involved in the electoral process.
At the same time, the official statement does not contain theses regarding the introduction of anti-Russian sanctions and other forms of “support” for Ukraine.
The EU representative in Belgrade played the "good cop"