Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said that those who boycott the elections in Belgrade are not doing that in Pristina because, as he said, “the conditions seem to be perfect over there.”
He thanked the Serbs who showed support to the Serbian List, which runs in the Kosovo elections, and he added that a lot of pressure was exerted on all others to run only to seize votes from the Serb List.
Milos Zeman, the Czech Republic’s President, said on Friday he did not exclude the possibility of Prague’s withdrawal of the recognition of Kosovo’s independence, adding “it would be difficult, but still one day” not impossible, the Beta news agency reported.
In an interview with Parlamentnji Listi, a pro-Russian website, Zeman, whose administrative role is more of a ceremonial one, while decisions on such things are within the Government responsibility, has said that “war criminals shouldn’t lead any country in Europe.”
The Basic Pristina Court sentenced six people to a total of 25 years in jail for planning terrorist attacks on the members of the NATO-led KFOR, the property of the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC) and discotheques in Serb-populated parts of Kosovo, the KoSSev website reported on Wednesday.
The individual sentences vary from ten years to 12 months in prison.
Serbia aims to reduce the number of countries which recognise Kosovo’s independence to bellow a half of the UN member states and that will happen by the end of the year, Serbia’s Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic has said on Wednesday, the Beta news agency reported.
His words came despite the newly appointed US special envoy for the Western Balkans Matthew Palmer’s warning to Belgrade to stop campaigning against Kosovo’s eventual membership to the international organisations.
The Fatherland (Otazbina) People’s Movement of Kosovo Serbs says that it would boycott, as they say, “false elections” announced the beginning of 2020 and called the Kosovo Serbs and displaced persons not to turn out to vote.
The movement is a member of the Serbian opposition Alliance for Serbia (SzS).
Internal Affairs Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic told Belgrade based TV Pink that the Serbian authorities are talking to every possible country about Pristina's request to join Interpol.
Stefanovic says that the aim of those contacts was to prevent the “politicization” of the international police organization whose members voted not to grant membership to Kosovo in 2018.
The leader of the Party of Freedom and Justice (SSP) Dragan Djilas told Belgrade based daily Danas that Serbia’s opposition serves “as ikebana” to the international community which, according to him, supports President Aleksandar Vucic who is expected to recognise the independence of Kosovo.
He said the people would “win the fight for their freedom themselves as many times in history and when we win, we’ll know we don't owe anything to anyone.”
Opposition People’s Party (NS) leader Vuk Jeremic told Belgrade daily Danas that there is no time left to negotiate with the authorities about the elections coming in the spring of 2020, adding that a boycott does not mean running from a fight.
“On the contrary, it is the most honest form of battle for the benefit of the citizens,” he said.
Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic met with U.S. Ambassador to Serbia Kyle Scott to discuss bilateral relations and international affairs.
Dacic and Scott said they were pleased with improved overall bilateral ties, reflected in the recent meeting of Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in New York.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic told the Voice of America that Serbia can’t recognize Kosovo in the current circumstances.
He said the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue needs to be continued to reach a compromise solution. “We can talk about everything only if it’s about a compromise. They will never get my signature to give the Albanians everything and Serbia nothing. At this moment I am the president of Serbia, you can find someone else who will accept that without a compromise, following ultimatums only,” he said.