Mogherini wants Serbia better aligned with EU foreign policy. (Of the 14 EU declarations we have accepted 10 and refused to accept four)

BELGRADE – Italy’s Foreign Minister Federica Mogherini expressed the expectation Monday that Serbia would improve the level of alignment of its foreign policy with that of the EU, and her Serbian counterpart Ivica Dacic said that Serbia was already working on it.

“The goal is to fully align Serbia’s foreign policy with the European one, which means that we will work to fulfill our obligations before we complete all the negotiating chapters, and particularly Chapter 31 (Foreign, security and defence policy), in the near future,” Dacic told a joint press conference after a meeting he had with Mogherini today.

He said nobody had pressurized Serbia or given it any ultimatum in that respect.

Belgrade’s press had been reporting that Serbia would be given an ultimatum to join the EU and impose sanctions on Russia by September 1, and that the Italian foreign minister would use her visit to exert pressure concerning the issue.

“This is a normal conversation and dialogue. We will have it several times during the Italian presidency and we will cooperate with Italy and the EU openly and honestly,” Dacic said, recalling that Chapter 31 would be "screened" in October.

He said that great progress had been made over the last three months when it came to harmonizing Serbia's foreign policy with that of the EU and the percentage of alignment was now over 70 percent.

“Of the 14 EU declarations we have accepted 10 and refused to accept four, which include sanctions against Russia,” said the Serbian foreign minister................http://www.tanjug.rs/news/139061/mogherini-wants-serbia-better-aligned-with-eu-foreign-policy.htm
28/7/14
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• L’Italie insiste sur de nouvelles sanctions contre la Russie