It seems EU will give Serbia, Kosovo dates, says Croatian foreign minister

Judging by the discussion at the Foreign Affairs Council, it seems Serbia will get a date for the start of European Union accession negotiations and Kosovo...

(Hina) - Judging by the discussion at the Foreign Affairs Council, it seems Serbia will get a date for the start of European Union accession negotiations and Kosovo for negotiations on a Stabilisation and Association Agreement, Croatian Foreign and European Affairs Minister Vesna Pusic said in Luxembourg on Monday.

The issue of Serbia and Kosovo, the possibility that they make a "key step" in progress towards European membership, was the key topic of the EU foreign ministers's meeting, she said. The two countries have made big steps in bilateral relations and handling of issues from the past, and the General Affairs Council will make a decision tomorrow and the European Council next week, Pusic said, adding that today's discussion indicated that both countries would get dates.

Pusic announced that Lithuania's presidency over the EU in the second half of the year would focus on the Eastern Partnership - Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova, Azerbaijan, Armenia - "countries cooperating with the EU in different forms."

She said a declaration on the Eastern Partnership was being prepared for the Vilnius summit in November.

She said two criteria were being used to evaluate the partnership and the engagement with those countries, the first being each country's progress and ability to meet the criteria.

Pusic said Moldova had gone the farthest in that respect and that it was important because it was one of the countries with a "sub-country within itself," an entity created at a specific time of Eastern Europe's emancipation.

"Moldova has Transnistria within itself, just as Georgia has two such formations within itself, on its territory," Pusic said, adding that she was referring to Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

She underlined the importance of Moldova's ability to deal with that issue in an acceptable manner and be an example to others.

The other criterion is which country is more important "and at this moment Ukraine is certainly the most important country, for various reasons, one being size. Ukraine is the country to which all look at as perhaps the key country of the Eastern Partnership and EU partner, and at the same time it is a very important partner for the Russian Federation as well," said Pusic.

Ukraine has signed a memorandum with the Eurasian Economic Commission, "a formation initiated by the Russian Federation, this Eurasian Community. Ukraine is not part of the Community but is an associate member of the Committee. Evidently, there is an interest to include Ukraine on both sides, so cooperation with Ukraine is additionally important. It is also a very important economic partner for the EU, a political partner, important in every respect," said Pusic.

Ukraine is an important issue when it comes to respect for human rights as well, Pusic said, adding that Ukraine was discussed today in connection with "the issue of protection of human rights and selective justice, a topic important for the European Union," although more important for Ukrainian citizens.

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