Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic said late on Thursday that the claim Pristina has enough votes to join UNESCO was "a big lie."

"In all the meetings the president and I have had here, this subject was also discussed," said Dacic, who is in New York as part of the Serbian delegation, led by Aleksandar Vucic, taking part in the UN General Assembly.

Kosovo’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Behgjet Pacolli, said Kosovo has managed to secure enough votes to gain membership in UNESCO. He said that in meetings with foreign diplomats in the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, the Kosovo delegation has secured the necessary votes for UNESCO although he admitted that Kosovo would still need to adopt two pieces of legislation regarding religious equality.

It is up to authorities in Macedonia, to lead the politics of their country, but they should know it matters to us very much that Kosovo is not a member of UNESCO and Interpol, said Serbian Minister of Defence, Aleksandar Vulin, Tanjug news agency reported.

Vulin further added, that all countries that know that, also understand that mutual relations “are to the great extent based on it”.

“We have to take care of our own interests and about it that our friends should act that way,” he said.

"If they apply, the voting will take place at the Executive Board in October, if it passes there, then in November at the General Conference," Serbian Foreign Minister, Ivica Dacic said to the Serbian daily Blic.

The FM also thinks that Pristina will not succeed.

"I have been dealing with this issue continuously, we are sending envoys, and I am certain that they cannot pass for accession to UNESCO," Dacic said.

The Abbess of Sokolica Monastery, Makarija said to the Serbian media, it is an absurd that Albanians seek to join UNESCO.

“What do they have to protect? They have no cultural monuments. Except, Sultan-Murat Turbe (Sultan, who led Turkish forces in the Kosovo battle in 1389) and Sinan Pasha Mosque in Prizren, that was made from the material of a destroyed Saint Archangels Monastery in Prizren. They even do not have these two monuments, because these are monuments of Islam, Turkey,” Abbess Makarija said to the Blic daily newspaper.

State Secretary in the Serbian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Veljko Odalović told RTS that Serbia expects at least neutrality from its neighbours, regarding the vote on Kosovo's entry into UNESCO.

Veljko Odalović, visiting the RTS program, said that FYROM, for no reason, in recent months has been changing its relationship and policy towards Serbia.

It has been established that Macedonia's intelligence services followed and illegally "processed" Serbian diplomats, writes the daily Blic.

The newspaper further states that "foreign powers" were also involved in intelligence activities undertaken against Serbia.

"Serbian diplomats were followed without any reason, and even the method of intimidation was used. Some of the pressure that was applied was okayed by foreigners," a source has told the Belgrade daily, and added:

Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić said today that it was decided to withdraw embassy staff from FYROM because the competent authorities provided evidence of very offensive intelligence against the bodies and institutions of Serbia.

Vučić told reporters in Baric, near Belgrade, that there were several reasons for that decision, but that "competent authorities" had established this and presented to him and the Government of Serbia evidence of such action.

The Director for Kosovo at the Serbian Government, Marko Djuric, told Serbian media that official Pristina does not want membership at UNESCO or INTERPOL for cultural heritage or war against crime, but due to the fact that they are part of the process of strengthening their independence.

He said that INTERPOL General Committee has received Kosovo’s request for membership however he added, the one that decides to fight for a rightful cause always finds space to maneuver therefore engagement is unquestionable.

Kosovo has not applied for membership at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

According to the Acting Minister for Foreign Affairs, Emanuel Demaj, the reasons for this were internal, respectively, lack of the approval of two laws, the one for religious freedoms and the law for cultural heritage.