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Serbia Will Choose EU Over Russia If Forced, Premier Says (Bloomberg.com)

If Serbia is forced to choose between closer ties with Russia and joining the European Union, it will side with the latter, the country’s new prime minister said. Ana Brnabic said she’d continue a path started by her predecessor, President Aleksandar Vucic, to make the country ready for EU membership by the time her term ends in 2020. Eastern Europe’s first openly gay woman to lead a government, she was handpicked by Vucic to replace him after he won an April vote. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-07-03/serbia-will-pick-eu-over-russia-if-made-to-choose-premier-says

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Thaci: Let us leave aside divergences, continue with dialogue (RTK)

The President of Kosovo, Hashim Thaci requested from the entire political specter in Kosovo to leave aside political and party divisions, in order to support discussions between Kosovo and Serbia on normalization of relations. In an interview given to RTK from Brussels, Thaci said that Kosovo’s only way for integration is that of dialogue and integration, and within this segment, he said, there should not be political divergences. He said that today’s meeting with Serbia’s President, Aleksandar Vucic, is in the range of the other meetings and expressed optimism that this kind of dialogue wou

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Vučić and Thaçi "agree to work on new phase of dialogue" (B92)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić on Monday spoke with Kosovo President Hashim Thaçi during an informal meeting in Brussels, hosted by EU's Federica Mogherini, reported B92.

According to the EU, Vučić and Thaçi agreed "work on starting a new phase of the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina for normalization of relations and reconciliation."

The presidents "decided that the respective teams will start working on preparations," said a press release issued after the meeting.

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"EU more popular in Serbia than in many EU member-states" (B92)

Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic says that his country will maintain its "the road toward the EU" foreign policy course.

Speaking a day after Serbia's new government was elected, he said the EU integration was being carried out "for the sake of citizens, not for EU's sake."

The minister took part in the opening of a conference dubbed "Multi-speed Europe - Western Balkans in reverse" via a video message, and said that the new government will keep the priorities of the previous one.

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EU and NATO "strongly coordinating on messages to Balkans"

The EU and NATO are coordinating very strongly on different messages they are sending, including in the Western Balkans. EU foreign policy and security chief Federica Mogherini said this in Brussels on Thursday, after arriving at the NATO defense ministerial meeting. Mogherini also announced that she and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg could visit the region together in the fall. The EU official did this when a reporter asked whether she was "open to a joint trip to the Balkans with Stoltenberg" and whether she thought they could "advance security and stability in the region" if the

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US analysts: Trump has no plan for Balkans, EU is running out of “carrots” (InSerbia)

The new US administration has not yet formulated a policy towards the Western Balkans, and the European Union is running out of “carrots” to motivate the Balkan countries in the implementation of reforms, and again European integration, with Russian obstructions, still remains the best way for the region – US analysts said on Monday on the panel “Western Balkans – Delicate Balance” at the Woodrow Wilson Center.

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NATO to remain in Western Balkans (Politika, B92)

Deputy Assistant of NATO Secretary General for Operations, John Manza stated that NATO will keep its presence in the Western Balkans region as it has strategic importance to the Alliance. As it was posted on the KFOR web-site, security in this region contributes to the stability and safety in entire Europe, Manza stated, adding that NATO will stay present and focused on the Western Balkans. Speaking about normalization of relations between Belgrade and Prishtinë/Priština, he said that this process continues, and NATO extends its full support to the dialogue under EU auspices. He also spoke

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Belgrade-Pristina dialogue to be led by the presidents? (Večernje Novosti)

Belgrade and Pristina negotiating teams to be led by the presidents in the future, if both sides agree, Večernje Novosti learns in Brussels. The Cabinet of the High Representative, Federica Mogherini so far several times has repeated that it depends from the participants of the dialogue who will sit in their teams, when it comes to foreign advisors or persons with whom the other party would not want to negotiate.

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An Old Nightmare Returns: The Balkans Simmer Again (The National Interest)

One of the problems that emerges when U.S. officials and the news media are focused on a small number of foreign-policy issues is that troubling developments can occur below the radar in other areas. That appears to be happening in the Balkans, a region that was a foreign-policy priority of the Western powers in the 1990s, but which has faded to near invisibility in recent years.

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