"Serbia will be restrained and wait for international community's reaction to Pristina's moves"

Photo: Tanjug/Sava Radovanovic

For now, Serbia will be restrained and will wait for the reaction of the international community to Pristina's announcement that it will continue the campaign of applying for membership in international organizations, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Serbia Ivica Dacic said today.

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If that reaction is missing, if it is seen that Pristina is applying for membership in international organizations, we will continue with our actions, Dacic told TV Prva.

Dacic stressed that the dialogue must continue, because there is no other solution, but that the dialogue is based on a large dose of mistrust.

The question arises whether the dialogue makes sense if Pristina behaves like this, said Dacic, and added that Serbia does not trust EU institutions and certain countries' impartiality, stating that he does not have EU officials Josep Borrell or Miroslav Lajcak in mind here.

"I have not heard anyone condemn the statement of (Avdulah) Hoti," said Dacic.

He recalled that the special envoy of the US president for the dialogue, Richard Grenell, announced that he had received assurances from Belgrade and Pristina about an agreement on a mutual moratorium.

"In agreement with President Aleksandar Vucic, we both concluded that we do not believe Pristina at all, or that this would happen. First - Pristina is lying, second - no one reacts to that and third - we need to think about what we are doing. The dialogue was in the phase of clinical death and resuscitation for almost two years. We reanimated the dialogue, and now we have a situation of a step back being taken," said Dacic, assessing that it "will not jeopardize the dialogue from our side."

Photo: Tanjug/Filip Kraincanic

He said that Belgrade would participate in the dialogue, but Pristina's actions would provoke a reaction.

"I can't wait for the president to say that we are resuming the campaign of withdrawals of (Kosovo) recognition. They are not aware, they live in a never-never land. That will not solve the issue of the political solution of Kosovo, but will define new positions," the head of Serbian diplomacy stressed.

He claims that Kosovo cannot be a part of UNESCO while these authorities are in power, while he and Vucic cooperate, nor can Pristina join Interpol or the United Nations, because Pristina no longer has the required majority of 97 states backing it in the UN.

"I don't know if I will remain in this office, I will talk about this until a new government of Serbia has been formed," said Dacic and stressed that he did not talk to Vucic about ministerial positions. "It has always been stupid for someone to evaluate their own work, but everything we have said speaks volumes about the results, and I think that this time will be remembered for the fact that 18 countries had withdrawn their recognition of Kosovo's independence," said Dacic.

According to him, all the pressure around Kosovo is on Vucic, adding that if he does not agree to it, there are threats that he will be toppled in the streets.

Dacic said that Serbia needs national and state unity, and that his pre-election SPS-JS coalition is ready to continue cooperation with Vucic.

(Telegraf.rs/Tanjug)