BELGRADE – Serbia belongs to the European Union, where it can play a very important role and serve as an example and the momentum for the entire Western Balkans region, French President Emmanuel Macron said at a press conference last night, held as a part of his two-day visit to Serbia. Macron, who addressed the public after the “face-to-face” with Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, and the signing of a series of bilateral agreements, stressed France’s readiness to “provide support to all efforts” taken by the Serbian officials, which were necessary for the EU accession, “both in the domain of economy and in improving the rule of law and everyday life” of the citizens.
In addition to the agreement on the purchase of 12 French “Rafale” fighter jets, in the presence of the presidents of France and Serbia, 11 more documents were signed, aimed at strengthening the cooperation between the two countries in various areas – from agriculture, through health, to energy.
“I would like to see that the conditions for the opening of a new cluster of negotiating chapters between Serbia and the European Union are met soon. France is ready to continue to launch initiatives within the European Political Community, in which the voice of Serbia is respected and heard”, the French President said in a joint address with Aleksandar Vučić.
“The purchase of Rafale demonstrates Serbia’s will to be in alliance with France”
Macron thanked the President of Serbia for the “warm welcome”, stressing that he was glad to be in Serbia again.
“I would like to send again the message of friendship of France to Serbia with my presence today, and to say in the most decisive way that your country has a place in Europe, in the European Union”, he said.
According to Macron, relations between Serbia and France have “experienced a new take off” in the past five years since his previous visit to Belgrade. The President of France explained that economic cooperation was strengthened, which implied the “long-term engagement” of the French companies in the infrastructure projects, such as the construction of Belgrade metro and the modernisation of “Nikola Tesla” airport.
“The French Development Agency, which has been present in Serbia since 2019, has allocated almost 600 million euros, and continues to develop its activities here. Our experts work to support the implementation of reforms and the environmental and energy transition in Serbia”, Emmanuel Macron said.
As one of the goals of his current visit to Serbia, the French President stated his desire to see how the two countries can continue their paths in a changed international context.
“Over the past five years, many things have happened, including rising tensions. The war returned to the European continent as Russia carried out aggression against Ukraine. Thus, my message is simple – the European Union and its members need a strong and democratic Serbia, and Serbia needs a strong and sovereign EU to defend Serbia’s interests”, Macron said.
The French President noted that both countries strived for independence and sovereignty, “values that nowadays only the EU can offer, thanks to the means needed for the strategic autonomy”.
“This philosophy, this doctrine, this is exactly what France is promoting in the EU, this is what all Europeans need, this is what we call the Versailles 2022 Agenda. This is a part of the current mandate of the European Commission, as well. Together we can consolidate the strategic autonomy of the Union,” Macron stressed.
Macron claimed that it was very important that Serbia decided to buy Rafale fighter jets.
“It is a clear choice that implies the will for a long-term alliance between our two countries, within the framework of a strong, sovereign EU, and this choice contributes to strategic autonomy. We are building our defence and we want to be operationally independent”, he stressed, adding that “the same principle applied” to the domain of raw materials of strategic importance, for which a letter of intent was signed with Serbia.
“We in France also have important projects in this area and that is why it is very important that governments cooperate to make sure that all these projects comply with the best standards related to environmental protection. We can help you, we have experience, but of course, all these decisions are up to Serbia. Serbia is sovereign to make its own decisions”, Macron noted.
In his address, Emmanuel Macron also reminded that the normalisation of relations between Belgrade and Pristina was an “integral part” of Serbia’s EU path.
“This issue will not be resolved without a compromise from both sides and without the political courage to reach a solution. In this regard, I would like to congratulate the Serbian authorities, who at the end of last year started implementing the Ohrid Agreements. Together with our European partners, we have stated how concerned we are about Kosovo’s recent unilateral moves that do not send a good signal. You can rest assured that France will continue to pay special attention to the conditions in which the Serb community in Kosovo lives, and in this context we are committed to the formation of a community of municipalities with a majority Serb population”, he remarked.
Vučić: I believe in the French-Serbian friendship
The President of Serbia said that he was grateful for the support that France provided to Serbia in the country’s European integration, as well as for investments and closer cooperation.
“I believe in the French-Serbian friendship. Our cooperation is incomparably more successful than it was 10 or 15 years ago. We talked about all important issues, we talked about peace in Europe. Macron wants to hear the opinions of his interlocutors. It is important for us to reach peace as soon as possible. I expressed the desire for the situation in the region to be completely stable and completely safe, I believe that we will have great support from France on this issue”, Aleksandar Vučić stressed.
Responding to a journalist’s question whether Serbia was moving away from Russia and closer to the European Union with the purchase of French Rafales, Vučić noted that he was “proud of Serbia’s policy, of the fact that we always respect the UN Charter, which could not be said of many Western countries”.
“I know Emmanuel would like us to impose sanctions on Russia, but I am not ashamed of my decision. I explain my actions to my people. Serbia supports the territorial integrity of Ukraine and we perceive them as a friendly people”, Aleksandar Vučić remarked.
Speaking about the purchase of French aircraft, the President of Serbia said that he was “happy that Serbia will have such good and so technologically modern aircraft”.