Luxembourg Minister for Foreign and European Affairs, Jean Asselborn, was in Belgrade yesterday, Wednesday 9 September 2015, at the invitation of his Serbian counterpart and Deputy Prime Minister, Ivica Dacic.
The working visit was organised to discuss Serbia's experience of the refugee crisis, and comprised several components and meetings. In addition to meeting Ivica Dacic, Minister Asselborn participated in a telephone conversation with Prime Minister of the Republic of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, who is currently travelling.
The Minister then held a bilateral meeting with Minister for the Interior, Nebojsa Stefanovic, with whom he visited the refugee camp set up at Belgrade bus station, in order to assess the situation on the ground. Many refugees now transit through Serbia in order to reach the European Union, and talks with the Serbian authorities allowed for an in-depth look at the migratory crisis that Europe is currently facing.
The discussions on the situation in Serbia took place ahead of the extraordinary Justice and Home Affairs Council (JHA) arranged under the Luxembourg Presidency of the Council of the EU for 14 September 2015. Talks lasted some time, with Ministers discussing at length the need for cooperation between the EU and Serbia in order to better face the challenges of the current situation and prepare for the international conference on the 'Balkan route', due for early October.
Another topic of discussion was the prospects of EU accession of the Republic of Serbia, which has been a candidate since 2012 and with which accession negotiations officially began in January of last year. Minister Asselborn stated that Luxembourg would continue to support Serbia's efforts in this regard and expressed the hope that accession negotiations would be realised before the end of 2015.
Talks also focused on international politics in light of the Serbian Presidency-in-Office of the Organisation for Security and Co-Operation in Europe (OSCE), the largest intergovernmental organisation centered on security. The Ministers discussed the regional impact of the situation in Ukraine, where Minister Asselborn is today present for the 12th edition of the annual 'Yalta European Strategy' (YES) conference.
Ministers Dacic and Asselborn concluded the visit by discussing the current and potential bilateral cooperation between their respective represented countries. Economic relations between the two were emphasised, particularly with regards to the need to rapidly sign an agreement to prevent double-taxation and tax evasion.
Photos by Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs (Bottom L-R: Jean Asselborn ; Ivica Dacic)
