French ambassador: We want Serbia in EU

“France wants Serbia in the EU and that is the essence of our policy and our strategic course,” says French Ambassador Jean Francois Terral.

The French diplomat said that during the meeting of the French and Serbian presidents on May 27 in Paris, Nicolas Sarkozy stressed that “we wanted Serbia in the EU. Period.”

“The second important thing is that this summit has strongly expressed the will on both sides to intensify bilateral relations, especially economic ones. The two presidents decided to reach an agreement about strategic partnership, which will be signed when Sarkozy visits Serbia”.

Asked about the planned visit, Terral said he did not know the exactly date for it, but that it “would most certainly be in 2010.”

France is satisfied that Serbia made several big steps forward at the end of 2009, and gave a significant stimulus to the process of approaching the EU, he was quoted.

In that context the French ambassador cited a statement made by French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, who said that Paris would “do everything to support that process”.