Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dačić expressed his support for fostering the best possible relations with the United States but emphasized that Serbia would not heed calls for recognizing Kosovo.
During the celebration of America Day in the Serbian Parliament, an event organized by the Congress for Serb-American Friendship, Dačić made it clear that any efforts to pressure Belgrade into recognizing Kosovo’s independence would be in vain.
Dačić stated, “Attempts to approach the Kosovo situation in this manner will never succeed. We have already signed the Brussels Agreement and continue to be a constructive partner in ongoing dialogues,” as reported by the Beta news agency.
Dačić also highlighted that Serbia’s relations with Russia should not be conflated with its relations with Western states.
He pointed out the lack of high-level visits from US leaders to Serbia and the infrequency of visits from British leaders, emphasizing that such occurrences were not solely due to Serbia’s perceived strength. He questioned the feasibility of establishing partnership relations with states that do not align with Serbia’s interests.
In contrast, US Ambassador to Belgrade Christopher Hill reaffirmed the stability of relations between Serbia and the United States, asserting that they were not contingent on developments in other countries.
While Serbia does not officially recognize Kosovo’s independence, the two nations have been engaged in a dialogue for the normalization of relations since 2011. This dialogue is facilitated by the European Union and supported by the United States.
Kosovo seeks mutual recognition as part of any potential agreement, while Serbia pursues a compromise solution, although the specifics of such a compromise remain undefined.
/Argumentum.al
