EU – Baltic States, Integration, Latvia, Legislation

At the meeting of Tomislav Nikolic and Edgars Rinkevics. Belgrade, 22.04.2015. Photo: flickr.com

At the meeting with the President of the Republic of Serbia, Tomislav Nikolic, Foreign Minister Rinkevics expressed support for Serbia’s course towards the EU and commended Serbia’s dedication and accomplishments in the reform process, which he said should be continued – especially the efforts at normalisation of relations with Kosovo and practical implementation of reforms in the justice sector, the protection of fundamental rights and the fight against corruption. “I am calling on Serbia to gradually achieve greater coherence and harmony with the EU on matters of foreign policy,” he said.

The Foreign Minister also met with the Prime Minister of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, and expressed support for the integration of the Western Balkans with the EU, based on individual merit and performance of each country. Edgars Rinkevics emphasised that sound economic management and competitiveness are vital prerequisites for the process of EU integration. And one of the ways to develop these is through the strengthening of regional cooperation.

In a conversation with the Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia, Vladimir Marinkovic, Foreign Minister Rinkevics concurred that the parliamentary dimension of Latvian-Serbian cooperation should be expanded and business ties should be strengthened.

Towards the end of the visit, the Latvian Foreign Minister met with Ivica Dacic, First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and positively evaluated the high-level dialogue meeting in Brussels on 9 February when an agreement was achieved on justice and judiciary matters in North Kosovo. “The normalisation of Belgrade-Pristina relations has a vital role to play in the negotiations between Serbia and the EU. Work should continue on the normalisation of relations at all levels, as the progress in these talks is in the interests of both sides,” the Latvian Foreign Minister said.

In the context of developments in the east of Ukraine, Edgars Rinkevics noted that the OSCE is instrumental in the implementation of the Minsk agreements: the organisation should possess full information on the withdrawal of weapons and have unhampered access to the weapons-free territory. Regaining control along the whole length of the Ukraine- Russia border is, and will remain an issue of critical importance. Latvia will continue supporting the OSCE Monitoring Mission by sending observers.