The Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Thorbjorn Jagland, said in his interview to Belgrade-based daily Vecernje Novosti that Pristina’s request for a membership in that organization has not been received in Strasbourg, and even if that would be the case, a journey to eventual membership would be a long one.
“Request for my dismissal is just a pretext for toppling the government, since it is obvious that Albanian opposition is not able to win the power by democratic means,” said Minister for Communities and Returns in the Kosovo government, Aleksandar Jablanović, regarding the request of the Movement "Self-determination" for his dismissal.
While requested your dismissal protesters demolished Pristina.
The Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General in Kosovo, Farid Zarif, commended proportionate response of the police during yesterday unrest in Pristina, and said that democratic rights are not exercised through violence.
UNMIK expressed concern by the recent events in Pristina city centre. Such acts have nothing to do with the exercise of the democratic right to express legitimate grievances, stated UN mission in Kosovo (UNMIK).
The Serbian highest officials will present the announced plan for Kosovo and Metohija to our most important national institutions, before they present it to the domestic and international public.
The new plan, which will together compose the head of state, Tomislav Nikolic and Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic will be presented to the Patriarch and the bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church. It will be also presented to the leading men of the Serbian Academy of Sciences, experts in law and international politics and the most relevant political actors in the country.
Serbia has the greatest interest to impose the issue of protection of its property in Kosovo on the agenda of the upcoming talks with Pristina.
Said Rasim Ljajic to Vecernje Novosti, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade, Telecommunications and Tourism:
- Pristina will try in every way to avoid this issue, and the part of the international community. But Belgrade has invested heavily in building infrastructure and businesses in Kosovo. We have no right to raise our hands of it.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ivica Dacic will go in March in Pristina, where he will participate in the continuation of the ministerial summit of the Western Balkans, whose first meeting was held in Belgrade, at the end of October.
Serbian authorities require status neutral format of the meeting i.e. holding of the meeting without state insignia, as it was the case at the conference in Belgrade in October.
Serb representatives in Kosovo and Metohija warned that reduced budget for 2015 is jeopardizing the operation of the local self-governments in the north of the province and two municipalities in the south of the Ibër/Ibar River.
Requests for strengthening the independence of Kosovo, pressures on Belgrade to impose sanctions on Russia and attempts to weaken Republika Srpska will be the biggest political challenges of Serbia in 2015.
Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic said that giving up Kosovo and Metohija must not be a condition for Serbia's entry into the European Union. "Serbia should be in the EU, and we should enter the Union proudly. Giving up Kosovo and Metohija should not be a condition for entry. This matters to my life and cannot be changed. The EU is aware of that position," Nikolic told the talk show Cirilica on TV Happy.
Opening of first chapters in EU accession negotiations with Serbia is the first goal, but the success and speed of the process will depend on Serbia's progress.
This is according to Latvian FM Edgars Rinkevics, who currently chairs the EU Council of Ministers as Latvia on January 1 took over EU's rotating six months presidency.