Vucic on two-day visit to US: Focus is on economic cooperation between Belgrade and Pristina

Photo: rs.usembassy.gov, Marko Jovanovic

Facts:

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* Delegations of Belgrade and Pristina are on a two-day visit to the United States

* The Belgrade delegation consists of Director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Marko Djuric, Minister of Finance Sinisa Mali and President of the Chamber of Commerce Marko Cadez, and is headed by President Vucic

* Pristina is led by the prime minister of the provisional institutions of Pristina, Avdullah Hoti

* US Special Envoy for Dialogue Richard Grenell said economic issues would be on the table on Thursday

* The president of Serbia said that he would not agree to a meeting if the issue of mutual recognition is put before them

President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic is leading a delegation that is visiting the United States from today until September 5, where it will participate in talks about economic cooperation between Belgrade and Pristina, organized by the White House.

Although the special adviser to the US president, Richard Grenell, said that only economic issues would be "on the table" in Washington on Thursday, he did not rule out the possibility that other, political issues would be opened in the talks.

Representatives of Belgrade and Pristina will meet with Richard Grenell at 4 pm, and at 11 pm they will meet with Howard Kohr, executive director of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC).

In an earlier statement, the president of Serbia said that he expected a surprise during the upcoming negotiations between Belgrade and Pristina, saying that it could mean mutual recognition (on the agenda), and that in that case, he would refuse a meeting with US President Donald Trump.

He told TV Pink that in that case, "he would be the first president of Serbia to be offered a bilateral meeting with the president of the United States and the first president of Serbia to refuse it."

 

 

 

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Predsednik Republike Srbije Aleksandar Vučić boravi u dvodnevnoj poseti Sjedinjenim Američkim Državama, gde će učestvovati u razgovorima o ekonomskoj saradnji između Beograda i Prištine, koje organizuje @whitehouse.A post shared by Aleksandar Vučić (@buducnostsrbijeav) on Sep 2, 2020 at 1:04am PDT

On the other hand, the delegation of the government in Pristina pointed out several times before the trip to Washington that they will be meeting with Belgrade representatives only the sake of mutual recognition, and the prime minister of the provisional institutions of Pristina, Avdullah Hoti, reiterated in an interview with Klan Kosova that mutual recognition is the only formula for normalizing relations.

Who is in the delegations that are meeting today?

The composition of the Serbian delegation - which will include Minister of Finance Sinisa Mali and President of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce Marko Cadez and is led by President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic - says that the economy will be in focus.

The Pristina delegation consists of Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti, two deputy prime ministers, Driton Selmanaj and Albulena Balaj-Halimaj, Justice Minister Selim Selimi, Foreign Minister Meliza Haradinaj-Stubla, Infrastructure Minister Arban Abrashi, Prime Minister Ardita Dushi and Dialogue Coordinator Skender Hyseni.

(Telegraf.rs)