Dacic Says Not Visiting Other Countries So That No One Can Say He Is Avoiding Political Situation in Serbia

Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic (BETAPHOTO/MILOS MISKOV)

Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic said on July 27 that he had been traveling less in the past several months due to the internal political situation so that no one can say that by visiting other countries he was avoiding participation in daily political life in Serbia.

"I think that I have traveled a million and a half kilometers throughout my term. I visited countries that we never went to or lack diplomatic relations with, which, for instance, Kosovo has. We need to visit these countries because, by doing so, they have confirmation that we care about them," Dacic told Happy TV.

He commented on an N1 report on how much the ministry spends which states that in the past year the Ministry of Foreign Affairs surpassed all others in terms of expenditures and spent slightly above RSD10 million or EUR85,000.

"This is our job. Does anyone really think that these costs pertain to how much I am going to spend in some restaurant? We are talking about foreign delegations and visits, of discussions that you cannot lead with nothing. There have, though, been such cases, I was in Sweden and they did not even bring me a coffee, or the U.S.," he said.

Serbia's foreign minister also said that he was proud of the rescue teams that the Ministry of Interior Affairs' department for emergencies dispatches to countries that needed help and which were now in Greece.