Serbian Foreign Affairs Minister Ivica Dacic told TV Pink the aim of Belgrade is to bring down the number of states that recognized unilaterally declared Kosovo independence below 97, adding that Somalia is on the way to reconsider its decision as well.

“Our aim is that the number drops below 97, respectively less than half of the UN member states,” Dacic told TV Pink, saying it is also the aim, so Pristina, when it comes to the voting would have no perspective to pass.

The Central African Republic (CAR) has become the 14th country to withdraw recognition of the independence of Kosovo, Serbian Foreign Affairs Minister Ivica Dacic said.

"The Central African Republic became the fourteenth country that clarified its position that it does not recognize the independence of Kosovo", Dacic told RTS. He presented an official note that he received last night from CAR, a country he visited last year and met with its president on that occasion.

Serbian Foreign Affairs Minister Ivica Dacic said in the Serbian Assembly that he hopes to announce another country's withdrawal of Kosovo recognition in a day or two, B92 reports.

This would be the fourteenth country to do so.

Dacic stated that since Kosovo declaration of independence (in 2008), up till 2012, 84 countries had recognized Kosovo, while starting from 2014, when he assumed the role of Foreign Affairs Minister, 13 states had revoked Kosovo's recognition, while seven states had recognized Kosovo's independence.

Future of Belgrade-Pristina dialogue is very much uncertain because it is not known what the further development of the situation in Kosovo and Metohija would look like, Serbian Foreign Affairs Minister Ivica Dacic assessed, B92 reports.

He added that at the end of August new visits by international officials to Serbia might be expected, new initiatives and new assessments of the situation in Kosovo. He repeated the US does not want to exert pressure on Serbia, because, as he said, the US knows the problem is not in Belgrade but rather in Pristina.

Serbian Foreign Affairs Minister Ivica Dacic said that Kosovo Prime Minister in resignation Ramush Haradinaj is not withdrawing, given his recent move. "He made this move in order to eliminate Hashim Thaci and the others on the political scene, and to return as a victim of the Court for the so-called KLA", Dacic told Prva TV.

"This is a tactical move, we will see whether he will be indicted or convicted", Dacic added.

Europe obviously did not manage to ensure implementation of the Brussels agreement, Serbian Foreign Affairs Minister Ivica Dacic said on Monday, B92 reports.

Dacic added he has signed this agreement and Belgrade still sticks to it; however, Pristina does not think at all to implement it.

Asked if he considers the Special Court for KLA crimes would manage to safeguard 20 witnesses in the case against Ramush Haradinaj, given it isn’t known what happened with 30 others, Serbian Foreign Affairs Minister Ivica Dacic said he does not know if there is this number of alive witnesses, RTS reported.

“I do not know if there is this number of alive witnesses, I do not know what this case is based upon, but in any case, they should pay attention knowing who they have to deal with,” Dacic said.

Serbian Foreign Affairs Minister met in Washington with US National Security Adviser John Bolton, RTS reports. Dacic said he has received during the meeting “very good remarks” on what Serbia is doing regarding Kosovo.

Speaking for the RTS main news edition, Dacic noted the meeting with Bolton proved that Kosovo issue is high on the list of foreign policy priorities of the US President.

Without disclosing the details of the meeting, Dacic added “the meeting was extremely useful.”

Serbian Foreign Affairs Minister Ivica Dacic said in a Ministerial Conference on Religious Freedom in Washington that members of the Serbian people, Church and Christian cultural and historic heritage in Kosovo and Metohija are the victims of a nationalistic ideology to create a homogeneous ethnic, cultural and religious area, RTS reports.

At the invitation of US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ivica Dacic will represent Serbia at the Ministerial Conference on the Promotion of Religious Freedom, which will take place on 17-18 July in Washington, Serbian Government announced on its website.