French President Emmanuel Macron said that Serbia's future is "in the European Union" and "nowhere else". He called on Kosovo and Belgrade to "each make their contribution" and to "continue" on the path towards normalisation of relations.
"Serbia must never doubt, despite the wounds of the recent past, that its future lies in the European Union and nowhere else," he said alongside his Serbian counterpart Aleksandar Vucic at the Elysee Palace. "No trials should make us doubt this path," he insisted.
Serbia, which is negotiating to join the EU, has condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine, but refuses to accede to sanctions imposed on Moscow by the West and maintains privileged relations with that country.
"It is important that Serbia continues to give concrete expression to this (European) choice, in particular by aligning itself more closely with our foreign policy decisions," Emmanuel Macron stressed.
"We must also consolidate this choice by continuing and accelerating reforms to strengthen the rule of law, the independence of the judiciary and media pluralism", the French president added.
In September 2023, tensions reached a rare level when a heavily armed Serbian paramilitary commando killed a Kosovo police officer and then retreated to a monastery in the village of Banska, in northern Kosovo.
In this context, Emmanuel Macron called "for those responsible for the attack in Banska to be brought to justice and held accountable" and "to do everything possible to ensure that such a tragedy does not happen again".
He also promised to be "vigilant to ensure that the commitments made by the authorities in Pristina are respected" and that "elections for new mayors with genuine democratic legitimacy will be organised quickly in the north of Kosovo".
"We need to overcome the tensions caused by the decisions Kosovo has recently taken regarding financial transfers", he added, referring to the ban on commercial transactions in Serbian dinars, which has so far been tolerated in areas of Kosovo where the population is predominantly Serbian.
The Serbian president disputed Emmanuel Macron's comments on the "gestures made by both sides" in Kosovo and said that "one of the two sides has done nothing".
"Nobody is dealing with the issue of the survival of the Serbian people in the north of Kosovo," he said. "We have made efforts, we expect more efforts," he insisted.
"I want to thank you for always being able to listen to us, for always wanting to hear us. I want to thank France for its great support for Serbia, not only during its European path, but also for defending us when it was not easy, because I know how some people were impatient to settle scores and find enough reasons to settle scores with Serbia," Vucic said.
Vucic added that Serbia has always supported the integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina, but also the integrity of Republika Srpska within Bosnia and Herzegovina, in line with the Dayton Peace Agreement.
"As for all other things, I believe there are many more areas where we will deepen our cooperation. You are a man of your word, I have great confidence in you. We also respect and love France immensely," Vucic added. / BGNES
