Leader of Peoples’ Party Vuk Jeremic in an interview to Vienna-based Der Standard said that Serbia is no longer a democratic state but “a corrupted autocracy” in which the President of the Republic grabbed all leverages of power, while he secretly negotiates on redrawing the borders in the region, Danas daily reports.
EU Commissioner Johannes Hahn said "the relationship between Serbia and Kosovo has improved." He added that there have been events in the past few weeks that would in the past would have lead to "both sides reaching for their weapons."
"Today, the presidents reach for the phone and call each other," the EU official has been quoted as saying. According to him, these are some positive moves when observed over a longer period of time.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan should visit Serbia in June, Turkish Ambassador in Belgrade Tanju Bilgic said on Thursday, Tanjug news agency reports.
Bilgic and Minister of Education Mladen Sarcevic discussed the opening of a Turkish school in Belgrade.
At the meeting of the delegation of the Ministry of Education of Turkey and the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of Serbia, Sarcevic said that he and the ambassador agreed that relations between the two countries have never been better.
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) expects positive changes for press freedom in the biggest Balkan country, which aspires to join the European Union.
The organization said this in a press release issued after "a wide-ranging discussion with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic at the presidential palace in Belgrade" on Monday, and added:
Serbian Foreign Affairs Minister Ivica Dacic commenting on yesterday’s statements of his Slovenian counterpart Cerar on protests in Serbia, Putin’s visit and EU path, said that Cerar speaks about political crisis in Belgrade and they barely managed to form a government, Vecernje Novosti reported.
Serbian Assembly Committee for Kosovo and Metohija Chairperson Milovan Drecun thinks taxes on goods from central Serbia will be abolished, Tanjug news agency reported.
Drecun added that Kosovo Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj now tries to act in line with USA wishes, but at the same time “avoid the embarrassment.”
Former USA Ambassador to Serbia, William Montgomery said that things in and around Kosovo at this moment are ongoing in a dangerous direction, Tanjug news agency reports.
“I hope I am wrong, but I am utterly pessimistic regarding the situation about Kosovo,” Montgomery said.
“The current stance of Kosovo leadership is that the declaration of independence has changed everything, and that new Kosovo can do everything that other independent states are doing,” Montgomery went on explaining.
The latest developments in Serbia raise the question of whether Belgrade is still on the European path, Slovenian Foreign Minister Miro Cerar has said.
Speaking before the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Slovenian Parliament, Cerar added that Serbia should declare its stance on European orientation, STA is reporting. According to him, these questions should be discussed through talks with Serbian officials, and concern should be expressed over them.
Institute for European Studies Professor, Slobodan Zecevic told RTS Germany is interested that Serbia joins the EU, but also to resolve the Kosovo issue, since Serbia cannot enter the EU with unresolved relations with Albanians.
He also assessed that Pristina by refusing to lift taxes, despite requests from USA and EU, became some sort of “fugitive” in relation to the international law and international relations.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, who is attending the World Economic Forum in Davos said the statement of Ramush Haradinaj that Pristina will not lift taxes on goods from Serbia is bad news and bad signal not only for Serbia but for the entire region as well.
He repeated the plea for taxes to be revoked, adding there is nothing to talk about as long as taxes remain in force.