European Parliament Rapporteur for Serbia, David McAllister urged Pristina authorities to revoke the decision on tariffs on goods from Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, Tanjug news agency reported.
He noted it is not easy, however Aleksandar Vucic and Hashim Thaci have raised the dialogue to the new level. He called on the both sides to continue dialogue in order to advance on their respective paths to the EU.
Whether or not Serbia will free itself in 2019 of the shackles of the Kosovo problem - the alpha and omega of its foreign and domestic policies - depends largely on the diplomatic capabilities of its president.
The unresolved conflict with Kosovo’s Albanians places Serbia on a cross between East and West, while on the domestic front the fact that the country is a candidate for EU membership is used as an excuse: how can a country reform while its national sovereignty and integrity are endangered?
Chairman of the Serbian National Assembly Committee for Kosovo and Metohija, Milovan Drecun told RTS morning news edition, that UN Secretary General report on Kosovo says the situation there is bad and Kosovo achieved no progress.
Drecun said, the UN SG report depicts a realistic situation in Kosovo. “These reports are rather balanced lately, and they are one of the biggest political obstacles on the international scene for Pristina to attempt to complete the ethnic cleansing of the Serbian people and disable any agreement with Belgrade,” Drecun said.
Donald Trump's administration does not have much time for the Balkans. This is according to Daniel Hamilton, an expert at the School for Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University.
According to Voice of America, this prominent connoisseur of European circumstances, is also not convinced that Washington, and even the European capitals will make enough effort to speed up the process of Euro-Atlantic integration of the remaining Western Balkan countries.
European Commission Spokesperson Maja Kocijancic told Tanjug news agency the issue of Trepca status should be resolved through legally binding agreement on normalization of relations between Belgrade and Pristina.
She added, “that all open issues between the two sides should be resolved through finalization of the dialogue.”
Serbian Foreign Affairs Minister Ivica Dacic said that a lasting solution in Belgrade-Pristina dialogue should be reached as soon as possible, since a change in the international relations might occur, BETA news agency reports.
“It is necessary to speed up the dialogue, reach a lasting solution, do not waste time, and for the Serbian interests it would be good to end this process as soon as possible, since international relations might change, Dacic said during the news conference with Dominican Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit.
First Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic will take part in an informal meeting of EU foreign ministers and candidate countries on Feb.1 in Bucharest. The meeting is organized by EU High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy Federica Mogherini and the Romanian EU Presidency.
On the margins of the meeting, Dacic will also participate in an informal working lunch at the invitation of Mogherini and Romanian Foreign Minister Teodor Melescanu.
The US won't be granting entry visas to any Kosovo officials after Pristina's refusal to revoke or suspend taxes on goods from Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina. This is being reported on Thursday by Prisina based Albanian language website lajmi.net.
All twenty-eight EU member-states conveyed a message to Pristina authorities there would be no continuation of the Brussels dialogue until Pristina revokes its decision on 100 percent tariffs on goods from Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, Danas daily reports referring to diplomatic sources.
The sources also confirmed to Danas, this was made clear to the representatives of recently appointed Pristina’s team for Brussels dialogue, two days ago during their visit to Brussels.
Chairman of Bosnia and Herzegovina Presidency Milorad Dodik said in Brussels he respects the territorial integrity of Serbia and considers Kosovo as Serbia’s internal matter, Tanjug news agency reports.
Following the meeting with EU Commissioner Johannes Hahn and presidents of European Commission and European Council, Jean-Claude Juncker and Donald Tusk, Dodik stated topics of discussion included B&H European integration and the situation in the region.