Serbian President Vucic: Positive environment needed to continue Kosovo talks

TANJUG/ DIMITRIJE GOL

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and European Parliament rapporteur for Serbia David McAllister have agreed that a positive environment has to be created to continue the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, Vucic’s office said in a press release on Wednesday.

McAllister is on an official visit to the region, and is scheduled to meet with officials in Belgrade and Pristina, as well as representatives of opposition parties and NGOs in the countries.

Speaking to McAllister, Vucic said he expected the international community to react to Kosovo’s failure to implement “a single part of the Brussels agreement,” as well as Pristina’s decision to introduce 100 percent tariffs on the import of goods from Serbia.

The Brussels agreement between the Kosovo and Serbia governments, concluded in the Spring of 2013, was intended to normalise the relations of the two countries after Kosovo had declared independence from Serbia in 2008.

Belgrade never recognised that decision, and officially still considers Kosovo a province of Serbia in spite of having no de facto authority there, with the exception of a Serb-populated enclave in the very north of Kosovo.

Kosovo’s is recognised today by 23 out of 28 EU member states, including ex-Yugoslav nations of Croatia and Slovenia, and around half of 193 UN members. Out of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, US, UK, and France recognise Kosovo, while China and Russia don’t.

Vucic also said on Wednesday that the conditions for the continuation of dialogue will be created only when the tariffs, introduced in December last year, are rescinded.

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