- EU expects Kosovo to respect agreements, including one on officials’ visits (KTV)
- Opposition and analysts: MFA won’t keep ban on Belgrade officials for long time (KTV)
- Russia reacts to Kosovo decision on Serbian officials (Klan Kosova, RTK)
- Hahn calls for tariff revocation (Klan Kosova)
- Few Kosovo products sold in north (Klan Kosova)
News
EU expects Kosovo to respect agreements, including one on officials’ visits
(KTV)
Referring to Serbian media, Koha.net reported that EU spokesperson Maja Kocijancic reacted following the decision of Kosovo authorities to ban entry to the Kosovo territory to all Belgrade officials.
She said that the EU expected respecting of the agreement on visits of officials, which was reached within the framework of the dialogue between Belgrade and Prishtinë/Pristina.
“We expect compliance with all the agreements reached as part of the dialogue between Belgrade and Prishtinë/Pristina under the EU supervision, including the agreement on visits of officials,” Kocijancic is quoted to have said.
In a written statement, answering the question of Tanjug (Serbian news agency) about the EU response to what Belgrade media call the latest provocation by Prishtinë/Pristina, Kocijancic added that regarding the recent situation, the EU is in touch with both sides.
The agreement on visits of officials has started to be implemented since 1st December 2014, and it has been breached several times by the Prishtinë/Pristina side.
Koha.net reminded that the Kosovo Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday presented its decision, which bans all Belgrade officials entry to Kosovo.
Opposition and analysts: MFA won’t keep ban on Belgrade officials for long time
(KTV)
Decision of the Kosovo Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) to ban Serbian officials entry to Kosovo, has revolted Head of the Office for Kosovo in the Serbian Government Marko Djuric, who visited Kosovo a few days ago.
“Prishtinë/Pristina is going on with the crazy steps that directly turn down the agreements reached eight years ago. The agreement on visits of officials reached in 2011, and decision of the authorities in Kosovo to ban visits of our officials to the autonomous province of Kosovo, is the last point on the death coffin of the idea of dialogue, a strong slap against the international community, a strike against the foundations of freedom of movement and the European principles,” Djuric said.
However, members of the Assembly Committee for Oversight of MFA say that such ad hoc decisions represent a non-serious policy towards Serbia.
On the other hand, security experts say that this is not the first time that Ministry of Foreign Affairs has made decisions on such bans, and then gives up its own decisions.
Russia reacts to Kosovo decision on Serbian officials
(Klan Kosova, RTK)
Maria Zaharova, spokesperson of the Russian Foreign Ministry, said that the decision of the Kosovo institutions to ban Serbian officials entry to Kosovo cannot produce any effect whatsoever.
In this statement, she emphasised that Russia continues respecting the Resolution 1244, and supporting territorial integrity of Serbia.
“We think that those attempts to impose blockades have zero effect both theoretically and practically; legally they are absolutely meaningless, and they do not promote peaceful solutions for the existing problems,” Zaharova stated to TAS, Gazeta Express reported.
Hahn calls for tariff revocation
(Klan Kosova)
The tariff on Serbian and Bosnia and Herzegovina products, imposed by the Republic of Kosovo, was mentioned in Poznan, Poland.
At the Western Balkans Summit, which is taking place in Poznan, EU Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn, called for resolving this issue as soon as possible.
In addition, Hahn called for improvement of neighbourly relations, not only in trade matters.
Few Kosovo products sold in north
(Klan Kosova)
Sending trucks with goods to the north for Kosovo Serb citizens is considered success by the authorities in Prishtinë/Pristina.
Those products were sent to the north, in response to the attempts of the Government in Serbia to simulate a humanitarian crisis as a consequence of the tariff imposed on Serbian products, Klan Kosova reported.
The result of six trucks that were sent on Monday and four trucks on Tuesday is considered positive, although not many products were sold.
