Malta in favour of granting Serbia candidate status

Foreign minister Tonio Borg has underlined the importance of granting candidate status to Serbia, speaking during discussions on the Serbia-Kosovo dialogue being facilitated by the EU.

Borg welcomed the agreement reached at the latest meeting of the dialogue, stressing that regional cooperation would be strengthened with Serbia's candidate country status.

He also urged giving substance to the European perspective of the Western Balkans.

The General Affairs Council meeting which will be held in Brussels today will continue to discuss the granting of candidate status to Serbia, with a final decision expected at the European Council summit later this week.

The main topic of discussion during the Council meeting was the ongoing and escalating violence in Syria, which has reached a new level of bloodshed and international condemnation.

Ministers discussed numerous reports which indicate a campaign of repression of the Syrian regime against civilians in cities such as Homs together with allegations of widespread violations of human rights.

Ministers also reiterated their support for the Egypt's transition towards a pluralistic democracy while emphasising the importance of a complete transfer of powers to civilian rule as soon as possible.