BELGRADE (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 23rd November, 2018) Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and European Commissioner for Neighbourhood Policy Johannes Hahn in phone talks discussed the escalating tensions between Kosovo and Serbia over Kosovo's decision to hike tax on Serbian goods and recent arrests in the Serb-dominated town, the Serbian president's press service said on Friday.
Kosovo imposed a 10-percent tax on Serbian imports last week and raised it to 100 percent on Wednesday after accusing Belgrade of campaigning against its Interpol membership. On Friday, Kosovo police detained four Serbs in the town of Kosovska Mitrovica, saying that three of them were detained within investigation into the killing of Kosovo Serb leader Oliver Ivanovic in January of this year, and the fourth person "resisted the police."
"President Vucic said that Serbia always behaves seriously and responsibly, but also pointed out that the country is always a subject to provocations from Pristina, which threatens the security of Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija, as well as peace and stability throughout the region," the press service said in a statement.
According to the statement, Vucic and Hahn agreed that it is necessary to preserve peace and stability.
Kosovo unilaterally proclaimed independence from Serbia in 2008 but Belgrade did not recognize that decision. Pristina and Belgrade are currently engaged in an EU-facilitated dialogue aimed at the normalization of relations between the sides.
