Jeremic, Read More">who is on a two day visit to Portugal, told the press after a meeting with his Portuguese counterpart Louis Amado, that this is very important for Serbia because it cannot abandon either its struggle for Kosovo-Metohija or its goal of EU membership.

Belgrade will continue to closely cooperate with all European partners in order to stabilise the situation in the Balkans, to reach a solution based on compromise for the future status of Kosovo-Metohija and to accelerate the EU integration process, said Jeremic. 

The Serbian government has found a way to stabilise the region, despite the fundamental differences between the stances of countries in the region concerning Kosovo-Metohija, he said. 

This is the first time in the history of the Balkans that an issue of key importance is being resolved through solely peaceful, legal and diplomatic means, which is the European way of resolving problems, stressed Jeremic. 

It is necessary to work in a peaceful and cautious manner until an agreement satisfactory to all sides is reached. All current issues anywhere in Europe, including problems in the Balkans, can be resolved in this way, Jeremic said. 

Serbia will continue with this policy and constructive cooperation with its European partners and the international community, he said. 

I hope that over the coming months and years the Western Balkans’ EU integration process will be accelerated. Serbia has had Portugal’s support for a long time for the implementation of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) and the approval of its application for candidacy, he said. 

The inclusion of the entire Western Balkans region into the EU as soon as possible is a priority and we will continue to work together to achieve this goal, Jeremic said. He also expressed gratitude for Portugal’s understanding for the situation in Serbia and the region and for its continued support for Serbia’s EU integration. 

The previous year was very good for Serbia. Visa restrictions were removed, the interim trade agreement with the EU was unfrozen and the application for candidacy was submitted, Jeremic said. 

This year it will be hard to match the successes of the last one but with the support of friendly countries, such as Portugal, it is possible, he said. 

He said that Amado will visit Belgrade soon, adding that he also talked in Lisbon with investors interested in investing in Serbia. 

Amado said that the SAA with Serbia is important for stabilising the situation in the Western Balkans. He said that he hopes the agreement will be ratified as soon as possible and that Portugal will make efforts to facilitate this. 

Without the Serbian government’s constructive role, under very complicated and difficult circumstances, the situation in the region would have been extremely problematic, he remarked. 

Speaking about the Kosovo-Metohija issue, he said that the Serbian government is making efforts to resolve this very complicated problem in a peaceful manner. 

The Serbian government’s tactful approach to the problem, which has a huge internal dimension in Serbian politics, is very intelligent, said Amado. 

The Serbian government is playing a very constructive role in the region and is working in the interest of regional peace and stability, while opposing the recognition of the independence of Kosovo-Metohija, he said.