Kosovo Settlement Unlikely in 2019, Any Dialogue Conditional on Tariff Removal - Belgrade
The Kosovo issue is unlikely to be resolved this year since Belgrade will not resume dialogue with Pristina until 100-percent duties on Serbian goods flowing to the region are lifted, Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic told Sputnik in an interview
The EU-mediated dialogue between Belgrade and Kosovo, launched in 2013, is currently stalled. All contacts were stopped in November after Pristina slapped heavy tariffs on products from Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
"I am certain that the [Kosovo] problem will not be resolved by the end of this year because the dialogue is currently frozen because of the unilateral acts of Pristina ... And dialogue will not be continued until these tariffs are canceled," Dacic said.
Nevertheless, if Belgrade's condition is met, the dialogue could be revived as early as the end of this year or the beginning of 2020, according to Dacic.
"But Pristina doesn't respect these agreements, which we already agreed. As far as we can see there is not even a hope that Pristina wants a compromise," he argued.
Serbia, in turn, "wants to compromise," but "we won't take any ultimatums and we most certainly won't accept the unilaterally declared independence of Kosovo," Dacic said.
The international community's stance, the minister went on, does not give much hope to see "quicker solution" to the Kosovo issue.
Dacic noted hat Belgrade "highly appreciates" support of Russia, but many other countries do not respect UN resolutions on the issue.
The recent Kosovo elections do not bring about any optimism either, given the victory of the pro-Albanian party, the minister said, slamming the West for support of these political forces.
"They advocate creating the Great Albania. He [the party leader] keeps an Albanian flag in his office. When foreign ambassadors come to visit him and have meetings with him they expect to see [him as] prime minister of Kosovo. Does that mean that some Western countries support creating Great Albania?" he wondered.
Kosovo unilaterally proclaimed independence from Serbia on February 17, 2008, after years of conflict with Belgrade. The self-proclaimed republic is recognized by over 100 UN member states. Serbia, as well as Russia, China, Israel, Iran, Spain, Greece and a number of other countries, have not recognized Kosovar independence.
Serbs in Kosovo, who predominantly live in the north, meanwhile, face real hardships, such as consistent destruction of their cultural and religious heritage as well as 100 percent duties on Serbian goods flowing to the region. Following the recent Kosovo parliamentary vote, the European Union said that its mission had taken note of "intimidation" against the ethnic Serbian population during the electoral process.