Bilcik: The Goal of Inter-Party Dialogue Is to Have Fair Elections and No Opposition Boycott

Vladimir Bilcik(Photo: PrintScreen YouTube)

European Parliament rapporteur for Serbia Vladimir Bilcik, who will be a mediator in the upcoming dialogue between the government and the opposition in Serbia, has said that the goal of the process is for the next elections to be fair and not be boycotted by the opposition.

Responding to an opinion that the deadline for an agreement is September so that there would be enough time to implement what has eventually been agreed, Bilcik told the N1 TV station in the evening on July 7 that the European mediators are prepared to participate in the dialogue until the last moment by which progress can be made.

“We will give our contribution and are prepared to be involved as long as necessary. We have no deadlines; the dialogue has been in progress since 2019. This is a second phase, and we are prepared to participate until the last moment by which progress can be made. I think that all should join the negotiations with good will and open mind,” Bilcik said.

The first meeting in the presence of four EP mediators – Bilcik, Tanja Fajon, Knut Fleckenstein and Eduard Kukan – will be held on July 9 and 10 in Belgrade.

Bilcik also said that this will be the first mission of the four MEPs outside the Union, which, according to him, points to the importance of the inter-party dialogue for both the EU and Serbia.

Tanja Fajon said that because of implementation [of its eventual results], it is important to finalize the dialogue as soon as possible, as it is not known when the elections in Serbia will be held.