Dačić verbally attacked European Commissioner for Enlargement in Serbian Government

BELGRADE, (Patria) - At a meeting between European Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations Oliver Varhelyi and Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabić and ministers in the Serbian Government, an unpleasant situation occurred when Foreign Minister Ivica Dačić verbally attacked the guest, who then left the meeting. An hour before Dačić lashed out at Varhelyi, the conversation had been proceeding completely normally, without raised voices or unpleasantness, reports Serbian Blic.

At one point, Dačić took the floor and rudely addressed Varhelyi.

"He was very unpleasant. He told him that he didn't know where he had come, that he should remain silent while someone is seizing Serbian monasteries in Kosovo, that he should remain silent about the taxes imposed by Pristina on goods from Serbia," says a source for "Blic" who attended the meeting. 

The Prime Minister, as well as Minister for EU Jadranka Joksimović and Minister of Internal Affairs Nebojša Stefanović, were bewildered, after which Varhelyi turned on his microphone and addressed the Serbian head of diplomacy.

"I am the only European Commissioner who has reacted to the taxes, I have condemned what is happening in Montenegro, Serbia is the first country I have visited after the introduction of the new methodology, and finally, I have come here to help you," said Varhelyi.

After that, he turned off his microphone, approached Ana Brnabić, shook her hand, and left the room.

Dačić responded to journalists' inquiries by saying that he had not "attacked him but the EU".

"I attacked the EU for disrespecting the Brussels Agreement, for including Kosovo in Chapter 35, so now everything depends on that, because they are silent about the events in Montenegro and because they are unfair," he told "Blic".

Dačić added that he told the guest to ask the opposition what their stance was on the EU, Kosovo, the Brussels Agreement, Crimea...

"I listened to Olli Rehn, Štefan Füle, and Johannes Hahn, but we made little progress," said Dačić, then softening his tone, adding that he told him that he personally, and his country, were friends of Serbia and wished him luck.

The Serbian head of diplomacy added that he was outraged that Varhelyi's topic was not only methodology but also the region, foreign policy, and other issues. However, he denied that there was any scandal in the Serbian Government premises that evening, claiming that Varhelyi was in a hurry for a meeting with the opposition and that this was why he left the meeting early.