Dacic tells UN Security Council Pristina not ready to continue dialogue

“We are just one step by Pristina away from that – the lifting of the tariffs and so-called reciprocal measures which annul everything that we have achieved since 2012,” he said and recalled that the Community of Serb Municipalities which was agreed under the 2012 Brussels Agreement has not been formed yet.

“Serbia has shown its strong commitment to finding a compromise solution for Kosovo to secure lasting peace and stability,” he said and added that official Belgrade reacted with moderation to “all unilateral acts by Pristina”.

According to Dacic, the authorities in Belgrade hoped that last October’s elections in Kosovo and the new government would be an opportunity for Pristina to change its attitude towards the dialogue and show readiness to talk. “We met with even more extreme views and a complete lack of readiness for the dialogue, best seen in the program and decisions of Albin Kurti’s government,” he said.

Dacic said that the political atmosphere in Kosovo has created a situation in which aid from Serbia to fight the coronavirus pandemic is being used for political goals and inappropriate accusations.

He said that Serbia has taken steps to help the Kosovo Serbs during the pandemic and has expressed readiness to cooperate with the Albanians. “We sent medical equipment, doctors and nurses and we said from the start that we are prepared to fully cooperate with the Albanians and institutions in Pristina to fight the pandemic,” he said and added that the coronavirus patients being treated in Serbia include both Serbs and Albanians from Kosovo. “I want to stress that we will continue providing the necessary aid in this hard time,” he said.