Minister Dačić meets the U.S. Permanent Representative to the UN

26. Apr 2023.
First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ivica Dačić, met earlier today in New York with the Permanent Representative of of the United States to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield.

During the talks, opinions on the upcoming UN Security Council meeting on UNMIK, as well as the development of bilateral relations between Serbia and U.S., were exchanged.

The collocutors agreed that a dynamic political dialogue and talks between the officials of the two countries are an opportunity to exchange views on topics that are priority for the development of bilateral relations, achieving greater transparency and strengthening trust, particularly in the year when we are marking the 142nd anniversary of diplomatic relations.

Serbian Foreign Minister expressed hope that the U.S. Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, would visit Serbia in the coming period, as well as hope that there would be an exchange of visits at the presidential level soon.

When it comes to the upcoming meeting of the UN Security Council, Minister Dačić pointed out that for Serbia the work of UNMIK at full capacity is of utmost importance given the delicacy of the current situation in the Serbian Southern Province.

Speaking of the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, the Serbian Foreign Minister restated that Serbia shall keep its constructive attitude towards the European proposal and implementation of the action plan with the aim of further normalisation of relations with Pristina, but also reiterated that for Serbia there are red lines that it will not give up on, as pointed out by President Vučić in the previous months as well.

He mentioned that to continue the dialogue, the next high-level meeting will be held in Brussels on 2 May, in which President Vučić will participate on our part. He noted that the overall success of the European proposal depends on the establishment of the Community of Serb Municipalities, an obligation undertaken 10 years ago by signing the Brussels Agreement. It is unacceptable that this step is conditional on the consideration of the application for the membership of Pristina in the Council of Europe, and Serbia strongly opposes these developments, Dačić pointed out.

U.S. Ambassador the the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, called for the implementation of the agreement that has been reached between Belgrade and Pristina in Ohrid, and emphasised that the U.S. will continue to be actively involved in supporting Serbia and Kosovo in implementing their commitments to achieve predictable and peaceful relations.