"It is true that in Kosovo and Metohija not everything is Albanian, and not everything is Serbian, and the truth is that we have to reach a compromise."

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said this in an interview for the espreso.rs website.

He is convinced that "those who do not understand that will lead Serbia into the greatest tragedy from which we will exit defeated, more defeatedg than ever."

The ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), headed by the country's president as the most popular leader, will have the greatest voters’ support if an early election is held now, while the enthusiasm for the country's EU membership shrinks and Kosovo is "very important" to less than a half of those covered by an opinion poll published on Thursday.

Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz told Tanjug news agency that he expects further progress in Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, which is a precondition for the EU accession process, adding Vienna supports revoking of the taxes introduced by Pristina authorities.

Asked if he expects Belgrade and Pristina would be able to find out a solution by the end of the current EU Commission’s mandate, Kurz underlined that further progress in the dialogue is a crucial precondition for advancement towards the EU.

First Deputy PM and Foreign Affairs Ivica Dacic received on Wednesday in Belgrade Romanian Foreign Minister Teodor Melescanu, who was on an official visit here.

According to the Serbian Government, Dacic thanked Melescanu for attending a joint press conference after his meeting in the Palace of Serbia, "because he came to Serbia only a few days before Romania takes over the EU Council Presidency."

He pointed out that relations between Serbia and Romania are "very friendly."

Ivica Dacic says that Serbia will in 2019 certainly intensively deal with the issue of Kosovo and Metohija, and "probably in a different format than until now."

"No one can say - we will solve Kosovo and Metohija next year, at least no serious politician in our country and abroad. As far as I'm concerned, I would like to have an agreement and a solution tomorrow, but that's not realistic, many more things need to fall into place," the foreign minister told the weekly Nedeljnik.

A retired Yugoslav diplomat Vladislav Jovanovic assessed that Serbia’s right to sovereignty over Kosovo and Metohija is stronger than the right of self-declared Kosovo to its own sovereignty, saying other countries that have interests in the Balkans would decide on the resolution of Kosovo issue, and not only the US, Blic daily reported.

The EU sees a letter that the US President Donald Trump has sent to presidents Aleksandar Vucic and Hashim Thaci as a sign of support and encouragement to the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, Tanjug news agency reports.

This was said by EU Spokesperson Maja Kocijancic.

“We see this letter as a sign of support and encouragement by the USA to the dialogue that is held under the EU’s auspices,” Kocijancic said.

Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic and the European Union Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström agreed in Brussels on Wednesday that Kosovo import tariffs on goods from Serbia and Bosnia had undermined the regional stability, BETA news agency reported.

A statement from Brnabic's office said the country had lost an estimated 25.7 million Euros in export due to the 100 percent import tariffs introduced by Pristina early last month and that if the decision remained in place, Belgrade would suffer 65.5 million Euros loss at the end of the year.

Former Austrian Vice-Chancellor Erhard Busek thinks that the EU must change its strategy towards the Western Balkans. And it should allow all countries from the region to join immediately, he said, B92 reports.

During last night's debate "Europe and you: the balance of the Austrian Presidency and the prospects for the European Parliament elections," held in Vienna, Busek emphasized that it was pointless to "play a doctor" and try to correct something.

With his letter to Aleksandar Vucic and Hashim Thaci, Donald Trump has practically put delimitation as a solution to the Kosovo problem officially on the table. That's according to Belgrade-based daily Blic.

The paper writes, referring to diplomatic sources in Washington, that the US President was probably influenced by his National Security Adviser John Bolton and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, "who have been devoted to the issue in recent months."