Brnabic: European Parliament did not consult Serbia about delegation's visit, nor about visit's date

Photo: Tanjug/Amir Hamzagic/bs

President of the National Assembly of Serbia Ana Brnabic said today that the European Parliament (EP) - whose delegation is coming to Belgrade on January 22 - did not consult with the country's institutions about that visit, nor about the date, and added that she will not have meetings with the MEPs coming here because she will be on a previously scheduled visit to Estonia.

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Brnabic said that the Serbian Mission in Brussels received information about the MEPs' visit to Belgrade and that she conveyed that to the National Assembly in Belgrade, and pointed out that the EP delegation is coming for a so-called "fact finding mission" - but after the EP already adopted a resolution on Serbia last year.

"They are coming on a mission to investigate the facts, I don't know about what, since we have not been informed about that either. Why this visit? What do you want to talk about? What kind of fact-finding (is needed) when you have already adopted the resolution? How does that work? Shouldn't you first establish the facts - and then adopt a resolution?," Brnabic asked, in a statement for K1 TV.

Brnabic added that she has been involved in politics since 2016 and that for the first time, she is experiencing someone coming to Serbia uninvited, not consulting on a date of the visit, and pointed out that announcing a visit is not only a matter of diplomatic protocol, but also of basic decorum.

"For example, I'm traveling to Estonia, in order to improve our bilateral relations, and I have the desire to meet with the Estonian parliament speaker or with whomever I want and ask for meetings. I ask them: 'Is it convenient to you that I come on such and such a date, right?' And then they say, 'This or that date does not suit us, our parliament speaker won't be here. But we give you three or four alternative dates.' That's how it works," said Brnabic.

She added that she will not be in Serbia from January 22 until 24 because she has a pre-planned and scheduled visit to Estonia, which is "important for European integration and which has been worked on for months."

"I think it is extremely inappropriate for me to cancel that visit. Each of us has a schedule. The president of Serbia is going to Davos, and that is important for our country, for our citizens. He will meet there with a whole series of statespeople and also with a whole series of potential investors," said Brnabic.

According to her, the EP delegation will consist of eight to nine people, including Tonino Picula.

"I'm not sure that Bartulica is coming. Yes, he was mentioned in media reports, but I am not sure that he is coming. On behalf of the (Serbian) National Assembly, they will be received by the chair of the European Integrations Committee, EIvira Kovac, and the chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Marina Ragus," said Brnabic.

She added that the "fact finding" mission should be a mission to investigate the facts, and that a resolution in which an acousting device (against anti-government protestors) "was mentioned - has already been adopted."

"Imagine, the European Parliament, which mentions a sound cannon, which no one heard, no one saw, which goes zigzag, skips 'Caciland' (pro-government camp site in Belgrade) only to hit 'blockaders' (anti-government protestors), but not affect 'Caciland'....," said Brnabic - referring to the small space supposed to be affected by an acoustic decivice last March in Belgrade.

When asked what the purpose of the EP visit is, Brnabic replied that no one even deigned to say what the purpose of the visit was supposed to be, and the facts they were looking for are  - given that they have already passed their resolution on Serbia.

(Telegraf.rs/Tanjug)