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07-22-2011, 10:55 PM
Marking July 14, France’s national holiday, the diplomat said that the two countries were "bound not only by historical friendship", but also a joint future within the EU.
“France never suggested the renaming of Serbian cultural heritage (in Kosovo) to Kosovo's heritage,” Deniau also told B92 TV's Ljubica Gojgić, addressing a recent controversy (http://b92.net/eng/news/politics-article.php?yyyy=2011&mm=07&dd=01&nav_id=75212) related to the Serb Orthodox Christian heritage in the province, whose ethnic Albanians unilaterally declared independence three years ago - a proclamation that France recognized.
The following interview was translated from a Serbian language transcript
B92: Mr. ambassador, your visit to the Serbian-French friendship monument in Kalemegdan is part of the celebration of France’s national holiday. Is that friendship manifested today, is it a myth, a part of history, or does it still exist today?
Deniau: I think that memory of historical events is important. That monument and what it represents is important for the French who know Serbia. It is not only a symbol of allies fighting in the First World War, but it also reminds us of all those people who at the time educated themselves at universities in France and later contributed to the development of a modern Serbia. Therefore I see great symbolism in that monument. It is clear today that it is not enough to only remember the past. Our relations and our friendship exist even today and they will exist in the future. And the present and the future, the way we look at it, is mainly our joint affiliation to Europe in the geographical sense and then, hopefully, our future within the European Union where Serbia will, we have estimated, take its place in a few years. I think that one should think about how partnership between Serbia and France will develop in that context, about topics that we should think about together. I think that there are many. On the economic level, both in our country and in Serbia, agriculture and rural areas have an important place. Also, science is important in both our countries. I am very impressed with my meetings with many scientists. I have visited the Vinča Institute where extraordinary scientists work, who manage to maintain their passion for science despite modest funding. I believe that you share our position that science is a part of national identity and sovereignty and that it therefore requires budget appropriations. There are, therefore, many elements that we can build friendly relations on, aside from memories kept by our elderly.
B92: You do not mention the political level, intentionally or by accident? It seems that the level of cooperation is at its lowest in that area.
Deniau: Our relations on the political level are excellent. I had the honor to take part in organizating President Boris Tadić’s visit to France. That was the first official visit of a Serbian president in 100 years. The (Serbian) king visited France before that. The visit went very well. A lunch and talks with President Nicolas Sarkozy were organized at the Elysee Palace, that were very important and held in a friendly atmosphere. I think that on the official level we have relations full of understanding and serious consideration of the future.
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B92: A group of German MPs were recently here and in a way sent a message that Serbia will have to recognize Kosovo’s independence if it wants to join the EU. Is this also France’s position?
Deniau: I did see that a lot of attention was given to the German MPs’ statements in the media. It made the front pages of newspapers. However, there was a French parliamentary delegation here last week, that took part in the OSCE conference. Our delegation’s head said quite clearly that we supported Serbia’s EU accession and that recognition of Kosovo independence was not a condition. Only a short article appeared in the press.
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B92: What then was the point of the French initiative at UNESCO?
Deniau: There was no initiative, this was a routine resolution prepared by the UNESCO Secretariat that the Russian delegation would not accept. We proposed a status-neutral compromise. That is the usual way of doing things in the organization.
B92: What about the proposal to refer to this heritage as Kosovo's?
Deniau: No, never.
Read more: http://www.b92.net/eng/insight/tvshows.php?yyyy=2011&mm=07&nav_id=75467
“France never suggested the renaming of Serbian cultural heritage (in Kosovo) to Kosovo's heritage,” Deniau also told B92 TV's Ljubica Gojgić, addressing a recent controversy (http://b92.net/eng/news/politics-article.php?yyyy=2011&mm=07&dd=01&nav_id=75212) related to the Serb Orthodox Christian heritage in the province, whose ethnic Albanians unilaterally declared independence three years ago - a proclamation that France recognized.
The following interview was translated from a Serbian language transcript
B92: Mr. ambassador, your visit to the Serbian-French friendship monument in Kalemegdan is part of the celebration of France’s national holiday. Is that friendship manifested today, is it a myth, a part of history, or does it still exist today?
Deniau: I think that memory of historical events is important. That monument and what it represents is important for the French who know Serbia. It is not only a symbol of allies fighting in the First World War, but it also reminds us of all those people who at the time educated themselves at universities in France and later contributed to the development of a modern Serbia. Therefore I see great symbolism in that monument. It is clear today that it is not enough to only remember the past. Our relations and our friendship exist even today and they will exist in the future. And the present and the future, the way we look at it, is mainly our joint affiliation to Europe in the geographical sense and then, hopefully, our future within the European Union where Serbia will, we have estimated, take its place in a few years. I think that one should think about how partnership between Serbia and France will develop in that context, about topics that we should think about together. I think that there are many. On the economic level, both in our country and in Serbia, agriculture and rural areas have an important place. Also, science is important in both our countries. I am very impressed with my meetings with many scientists. I have visited the Vinča Institute where extraordinary scientists work, who manage to maintain their passion for science despite modest funding. I believe that you share our position that science is a part of national identity and sovereignty and that it therefore requires budget appropriations. There are, therefore, many elements that we can build friendly relations on, aside from memories kept by our elderly.
B92: You do not mention the political level, intentionally or by accident? It seems that the level of cooperation is at its lowest in that area.
Deniau: Our relations on the political level are excellent. I had the honor to take part in organizating President Boris Tadić’s visit to France. That was the first official visit of a Serbian president in 100 years. The (Serbian) king visited France before that. The visit went very well. A lunch and talks with President Nicolas Sarkozy were organized at the Elysee Palace, that were very important and held in a friendly atmosphere. I think that on the official level we have relations full of understanding and serious consideration of the future.
---
B92: A group of German MPs were recently here and in a way sent a message that Serbia will have to recognize Kosovo’s independence if it wants to join the EU. Is this also France’s position?
Deniau: I did see that a lot of attention was given to the German MPs’ statements in the media. It made the front pages of newspapers. However, there was a French parliamentary delegation here last week, that took part in the OSCE conference. Our delegation’s head said quite clearly that we supported Serbia’s EU accession and that recognition of Kosovo independence was not a condition. Only a short article appeared in the press.
---
B92: What then was the point of the French initiative at UNESCO?
Deniau: There was no initiative, this was a routine resolution prepared by the UNESCO Secretariat that the Russian delegation would not accept. We proposed a status-neutral compromise. That is the usual way of doing things in the organization.
B92: What about the proposal to refer to this heritage as Kosovo's?
Deniau: No, never.
Read more: http://www.b92.net/eng/insight/tvshows.php?yyyy=2011&mm=07&nav_id=75467