The National Assembly of Serbia on Thursday passed a bill ratifying an agreement on the establishment of the Western Balkans Fund with the aim of strengthening ties and encouraging the European integration of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Kosovo, Macedonia and Serbia.
The fund will finance different projects, helping the signatories to become better connected and reach the ultimate goal of EU accession faster.
Many in the West are more nervous about the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue than the Serbs or the Albanians are, and I do not know why, as we must speak to each other and solve problems, which is what we are doing, says Serbian PM Aleksandar Vucic.
I do not understand why they are in such a rush or why someone wants to accelerate processes, Vucic said at the Ubersee business club in Hamburg Monday.
The rate of sustainable return of internally displaced persons to Kosovo-Metohija is the lowest among all post-conflict regions around the world, amounting to a mere 1.9 pct, the head of the government Office for Kosovo-Metohija Marko Djuric said Monday.
At a meeting with Nancy Izzo Jackson, Deputy Assistant Secretary in the US Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration, Djuric expressed regret over a failure to include the return of IDPs in the agenda of the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue in Brussels.
Kosovo Deputy Prime Minister Branimir Stojanović told Tanjug that it is quite clear that there is no political will of Pristina to implement within a reasonable time fully what has been agreed, and that there are no decisions, especially when it comes to the formation of the Association/Community of Serb municipalities (ZSO).
Maja Kocijancic, spokeswoman for EU foreign policy and security chief Federica Mogherini, said in Brussels Thursday she was not familiar with a document in which Pristina had set new conditions for Belgrade, noting the EU was a facilitator in a dialogue that was currently focused on implementing agreements.
In a statement to Tanjug, she confirmed Serbian PM Aleksandar Vucic and Mogherini would speak by phone later in the day.
Serbian PM Aleksandar Vucic on Thursday expressed the suspicion that Pristina had set on its own the latest conditions for a continuation of the Brussels dialogue, which he said was not helping to solve problems, but escalating them further.
Vucic announced he would speak with EU foreign policy and security chief Federica Mogherini later in the day, with the Serbian government to also hold a session to discuss the issue.
The Belgrade-Pristina dialogue is continuing and the EU is continuing to play its role in it, the head of the EU Delegation to Belgrade, Michael Davenport, said Friday.
The delegations of Belgrade and Pristina have been in Brussels to discuss concrete implementation of several aspects of the Brussels Agreement and other agreements in the dialogue, he told reporters.
The Belgrade-Pristina expert-level dialogue will resume in Brussels on Wednesday and Thursday, with the Belgrade delegation to be headed by the director of the government Office for Kosovo-Metohija, Marko Djuric.
The discussions will focus on the current state of the dialogue and implementation of agreements on freedom of movement and education degrees, the Office for Kosovo-Metohija said in a statement.
The EU has encouraged Serbia to intensify implementation of reforms in key areas such as the judiciary, the fight against corruption and organised crime, and freedom of expression and the media, and also expects Belgrade to further normalise its ties with Pristina and align its foreign policy with the EU.
Serbian Armed Forces Chief of General Staff Gen Ljubisa Dikovic Monday urged KFOR to take all measures to maintain peace and security for the citizens of Kosovo-Metohija, pointing to a "fragile" security situation in the province after the decision of the Kosovo authorities on Trepca.