Press Releases

Plassnik: "Working together to stabilise the Balkans”

EU Foreign Ministers meeting and Troika with Serbia and Montenegro in Brussels

Foreign Minister Plassnik also discussed the subject of the Western Balkans with her EU Foreign Minister colleagues today in Brussels. Their discussions centred on the forthcoming independence referendum in Montenegro, the talks on the future status of Kosovo and cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal in The Hague.

The Foreign Ministers endorsed the efforts and initiatives of Miroslav Lajcak, Javier Solana’s Special Envoy, to work out a compromise acceptable to all sides on the holding of the planned independence referendum in Montenegro. "This will help create the conditions to ensure the legitimacy of the referendum. This shows that progress has been made in the Balkans, as differences of opinion are now being dealt with by democratic means", Minister Plassnik said.

She also welcomed the first round of direct talks between Belgrade and Pristina on decentralisation, which had taken place in Vienna on 20-21 February in a constructive atmosphere. "The objective of the talks is to find practicable, lasting solutions to permit peaceful coexistence of all ethnic groups in Kosovo. I call on both parties to continue their constructive approach in the next rounds of talks and to show the necessary willingness to compromise."

In addition, the Foreign Minister stressed the importance the EU attaches to cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. "Full cooperation with the Hague Tribunal is essential for the Balkan countries if they wish to continue uninterrupted the process of EU approximation. The EU will have to assess this cooperation again in the coming weeks. I therefore welcome Belgrade’s assurance that it will further increase its efforts to locate the fugitives."

Plassnik will have a meeting with Foreign Minister Vuk Draskovic in the evening in the context of the EU Troika. "This will give us an opportunity to discuss the forthcoming challenges in the Balkans with our partners from Serbia and Montenegro in greater depth", she concluded.