Boris Tadic, Serbia’s former President, said on Thursday he favoured the election boycott for now, but added that all aspects of the decision should be taken in account, the FoNet agency reported.

Tadic, who was former head of state, from 2004 to 2012, and now is the leader of the opposition Social-Democratic Party (SDS), said the mobilisation for the boycott demanded “higher level of organisation (within the opposition) than during election campaigns.”

Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic believes that EU Foreign Minister Federica Mogherini, by inviting Pristina to attend Helsinki meeting, where EU candidate countries are invited, is trying to create a presidency that Belgrade should accept, but which, he adds, certainly won't happen.

Dacic says that the name of another brave country that has withdrawn its decision on recognizing Kosovo's independence will be announced after Vucic's return from New York.

Opposition People’s Party (NS) leader Vuk Jeremic told Belgrade daily Danas that there is no time left to negotiate with the authorities about the elections coming in the spring of 2020, adding that a boycott does not mean running from a fight.

“On the contrary, it is the most honest form of battle for the benefit of the citizens,” he said.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic told the Voice of America that Serbia can’t recognize Kosovo in the current circumstances.

He said the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue needs to be continued to reach a compromise solution. “We can talk about everything only if it’s about a compromise. They will never get my signature to give the Albanians everything and Serbia nothing. At this moment I am the president of Serbia, you can find someone else who will accept that without a compromise, following ultimatums only,” he said.

Serbian public broadcaster RTS reports that Following a meeting between US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, the State Department issued a statement.

RTS conveyed the whole statement.

Togo, a West African nation on the Gulf of Guinea, became the 15th country which withdrew the recognition of Kosovo, according to Sputnik, a Russian state media outlet, as carried by the Srna news agency.

Sputnik said it got the news confirmed by diplomatic sources. Last week, Serbia’s Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic announced the latest withdrawal but refused to name the country.
Media speculated it was Togo.

The president of the European Movement of Serbs from Kosovo, Rada Trajkovic told Belgrade news agency FoNet that the "sole reason" for initiating a dialogue between the authorities and the opposition in Serbia was an attempt to hold and the opposition partially responsible in case Kosovo was taken out from the preamble to the Serbian Constitution.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic will meet with US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo on the margins of a debate at the UN headquarters in New York on Tuesday, the state department said in a press release.

The Head of Serbian diplomacy, Ivica Dacic, told Serbian public broadcaster RTS on Friday that this week he will say the name of the 15th country that withdrew the recognition of Kosovo.

Dacic said for RTS that in this moment less than 100 countries acknowledge ''the independence of so-called Kosovo''.

“Serbia would most probably participate in a meeting of EU foreign affairs ministers and membership candidate states in Helsinki,” Foreign Affairs Minister Ivica Dacic said Tanjug news agency reports. The news agency recalled that outgoing EU High Representative Federica Mogherini invited Pristina representatives to this event as well.

Dacic added he would consult with the President Aleksandar Vucic about Serbia’s participation, underlining “a Gymnich format” would be respected in a meeting.