The Chairman and Deputy Chairman of the European Integrations Committee of the National Assembly, Milos Jevtic and Dusan Bajatovic, talked today at the National Assembly House with the Delegation of the Foreign Policy Committee of the Italian Parliament Representative House headed by the Committee Chairman Umberto Ranieri.

Their meeting confirmed the well-known Italian positions on the process of European integration of Serbia and the whole of Western Balkans. European perspective is Serbia’s strategic choice which is strongly supported by Italy, Chairman Ranieri stated stressing his country’s belief that Belgrade plays a key role in the whole region. Italy pleads for speeding up the process of Serbia’s European integration, which is at this point an important support for Serbia, Milos Jevtic pointed out, and an example that the rest of the influential European Union members ought to follow.

Also, the importance of regional cooperation and exchange of experiences with countries which had already tread the road to European integrations was emphasised, particularly in the case of using the means from funds that will be at Serbia’s disposal after the signing of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement. It was mentioned in the conversation that the experiences of Slovenia, Bulgaria and Romania may be useful to make Serbia’s system compatible and have the means used in the best manner possible.

In the course of the meeting, Jevtic and Ranieri agreed in their estimate that the process of resolving the status of Kosovo and the process of integration of Serbia are separate and that Serbia should not be thus conditioned. Chairman Ranieri repeated Italy’s position that the issue of Kosovo does not touch on the territory of Serbia alone, but on the whole region and Europe as a whole, which is why a compromise solution acceptable to both sides, must be insisted upon.