Serbia “ready to invest maximum in dialogue”

Serbia is ready to invest maximum in dialogue with Priština, but expects the other side to show understanding too, Deputy PM Božidar Đelić said on Monday.

“It would be damaging not only for Belgrade and Priština but also for Europe if the dialogue in this important moment were to become a ground for irrational demands by Priština, which would in this way attempt to blackmail Serbia,” Đelić said in a statement for Tanjug.

Serbia is not ready for blackmail, he said.

Serbia expects the same treatment as other countries from Europe, he added.

“It is important to show what Serbia has done and to demonstrate that Serbia does not expect privileges, but at the same time expects the same treatment as other countries from Europe, without setting any new pre-conditions” Đelić underscored.

Đelić said that the main message that Markel brings to Belgrade is that the crisis in the European Union itself should not be an excuse to halt enlargement when it comes to the Western Balkans.