Romania and Serbia, from EU Accession to National Minorities
The situation of the Romanian minority in Serbia, whose full rights Bucharest has always supported, was an important topic on the agenda of the Romanian head of states visit to Serbia.
Newsroom, 17.07.2015, 13:04
Romanian President Klaus Iohannis paid an official visit to the neighboring Serbia on Thursday, a country which he believes is a key partner in the region. Talks with his Serbian counterpart, Aleksandar Vucici and with the Parliament Speaker, Maja Gojkovici, focused on regional stability, economic cooperation, the Serbias EU integration perspective and the situation of the Romanian minority in that country.
Romania and Serbia are planning to carry out a series of projects together, said President Iohannis, in fields like infrastructure, cross border cooperation and energy interconnection. The Romanian official also said that Romania supports Serbias bid to the EU and hopes accession negotiations begin this year. Moreover, Bucharest is willing to assist Serbia in its EU integration process. In another move, Iohannis said that the Romanian minority in Serbia must enjoy all rights stipulated by international law, such as representation, access to education, religious service and the press in their native language.
“I know progress has been made in this respect over the last few years, but efforts should be further deployed to meet all your expectations. I have clearly emphasized this issue during my meetings with the Serbian officials today, and have voiced hope that they will take the necessary measures in this respect, as they have already committed themselves to doing so, Klaus Iohannis said in a release of the presidential administration.
The Romanian head of state pointed out that the Romanian state, when approaching the minority issue, refers to the fact that “all Serbian citizens who feel they are connected to the Romanian spirituality, culture, religion and language, irrespective of which part of Serbia they live in or the name under which they are known – Romanians or Vlachs – belong to the Romanian minority. Iohannis pleaded for finding constructive solutions to ease the access of the Romanian pupils in northeastern Serbia to Romanian language courses. “Your strength and your ability to preserve your identity come from solidarity and understanding. For this reason, my message to all Romanians in Serbia is to be united. This is the way in which Romanians, loyal to the state they live in, can make themselves herd as a strong voice, the President told his fellow Romanians in Serbia.
Against the current regional background, the Romanian official went on to say, solidarity has become a very precious value. I believe the EU needs more solidarity among its members, for a secure and prosperous region. Romania proves its solidarity also by supporting Serbias European path, a process which involves, among other things, promoting human rights and minority protection.
