Serbia’s president says European Union-mediated negotiations on normalizing relations with Kosovo will resume within days.
Aleksandar Vucic did not specify the date for restarting the talks, which stalled last year, but said: “We are talking about days, not weeks."
Vucic added on June 4 that Serbia is "always ready to talk" and "does not want a frozen conflict."
Vucic spoke after U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Matthew Palmer and the EU envoy for the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, Miroslav Lajcak, visited Serbia to press its leaders to resume talks on the normalization of ties with Kosovo.
The Serbian government has stated that the normalization process with Kosovo is one of its priorities.
Palmer and Lajcak visited Pristina, Kosovo's capital, before traveling to Belgrade on June 3. Kosovo’s government, led by Prime Minister Albin Kurti, who took office in March, has said it is busy fighting the coronavirus pandemic and that talks with Serbia are not high on its list of immediate goals.
Both Washington and Brussels have said that normalization is essential for their further integration into Euro-Atlantic institutions. Serbia and Kosovo are both seeking EU membership, and Kosovo aims at NATO membership too.
Kosovo, a former Serbian province, declared independence in 2008 after a 1998-99 conflict between separatist ethnic Albanian rebels and Serb forces. The war ended after a 78-day NATO air campaign that drove Serbian troops out, and a peacekeeping force moved in.
The United States and most EU countries have recognized Kosovo's statehood, while Serbia has the support of Russia and China.
Serbian President Says EU-Brokered Talks On Normalizing Kosovo Ties To Resume
Editors' Picks
Top Trending
1
When Russian Soldiers Toured U.S. Nuclear Missile Bases
2California Connection: Chinese Electronics Fueling Russia's War
3Russian Woman Arrested In U.S. For Alleged Ties To Russian Intelligence
4Trump Has Sought Orban's Take On Ukraine War, Sources Tell RFE/RL
5Ukraine Live Briefing: NATO Makes Infrastructure Protection A Priority
6Police Force Protesters From Parliament On Sixth Night Of Tbilisi Protests
7Georgian President Calls Parliament 'Illegitimate' As U.S. Suspends 'Strategic Partnership'
8How Russia Prepares Children In Occupied Ukraine For War Against Their Own Country
9Taliban Orders Further Restrictions On Medical Education For Women -- Sources
10Moscow Bars, Nightclubs Raided Amid Crackdown On LGBT Community
RFE/RL has been declared an "undesirable organization" by the Russian government.
If you are in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine and hold a Russian passport or are a stateless person residing permanently in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine, please note that you could face fines or imprisonment for sharing, liking, commenting on, or saving our content, or for contacting us.
To find out more, click here.
