Integration of Serbia, Balkans, remains EU's key strategic priority: Mogherini

Visiting European Union (EU) foreign policy chief said the EU is committed to receiving new member countries and will work together with Serbia to maintain regional stability and create better business environment by stimulating regional cooperation.


Federica Mogherini, the EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, made the statement at a press conference following her meeting with Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic.

Mogherini said she carried the same message to all countries on her ongoing regional tour -- that their integration was the key strategic priority of the EU and that regional stability and cooperation among Balkan countries was integral to their economic development.

"From our side, the commitment is full. I am sure this (EU integration) will bring benefits not only to all Serbian people, but also to all EU citizens," she stressed.

Mogherini, also a vice-president of the European Commission, said regional stability of the Balkans was the strategic interest of the EU, "not because of geopolitical games, but because peace in the Balkans is peace in Europe."

"We have faced, in recent times, and we might face in the times to come, that this has been called into question. The EU is determined to work with all actors, starting from Serbia and all the others in the Western Balkans to guarantee that peace in the region becomes an irreversible achievement for all of us," she said.
   [Xinhua/China]
4/3/17