On Wednesday 25 April, European Council President Donald Tusk said the future of Serbia would be decided by Serbia itself, and not by Russia, Turkey or the EU.
The EU is concerned at the influence of Turkey and Russia in the region and special ties between Moscow and Belgrade.
"It is clear for the whole world that the future of Serbia will be decided neither by Moscow, nor Washington. Neither by Ankara, nor by Brussels. It will be decided only by Belgrade (...) The European Union is precisely the place where nobody imposes anything on anyone. We have built this community so that nobody would ever pay with their blood for their independence", Tusk said at a press conference in Belgrade with Serbia's President Aleksandar Vučić.
Tusk called on Serbia to look at the EU "as a project of a strategic dimension". "Together we can win almost everything: prosperity, highest standards of public life, lasting democracy with the rule of law and freedom of speech, security, and above all mutual respect and preserving national identity", he told Vučić, whom he described as "a flesh and blood Serbian" and "living proof that you can be at the same time a strong patriot and a reasonable pragmatist". He also said that being more Serb than Vučić was impossible.
Tusk thanked Vučić "for his personal engagement in the dialogue with Pristina". "This is a difficult and emotionally charged issue. But it is also a strategic choice that will pay off in the long run", Tusk said. According to Serbian media, Vučić said his country believed "it is important to find a compromise solution". "We can accept compromises, but we cannot humiliate Serbia", he nevertheless warned.
On the sidelines of the meeting, the European Investment Bank signed a new loan for €45 million to finance the modernisation of the air traffic control system in Serbia and Montenegro. This project will help the two countries come into line with EU regulations and will help them move forwards in their EU accession process in the area of air transport. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)