BELGRADE – The EU expects all membership candidates to gradually align their foreign policies with the Union’s common foreign policy, says the head of the EU Delegation to Serbia Michael Davenport, adding that Serbia’s relationship with Russia should not undermine its European integration.The EU has understanding for the specific relations between Serbia and the Russian Federation – some EU member states also have specific relations with Russia, and that is not unusual, Davenport said in an interview with the Belgrade weekly NIN.
When asked if Brussels could at some point demand that Serbia impose sanctions on Russia, Davenport said the goal of the policy of sanctions against Russia was respect of international law and international obligations, including full implementation of the Minsk Agreements.
Demanding an implementation of those sanctions is not the EU policy for now, but we expect all candidate countries to align their foreign policies with the EU by the time they join the Union – it is up to Serbia to define its own strategic priorities, and its future policy accordingly, Davenport said.
Enlargement remains one of the EU’s priorities, he noted.