Serbia will not recognize Kosovo, stays on EU path
Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic said in an interview with foreign media correspondents on Wednesday Serbia would never recognize Kosovo, and that the resolution on Kosovo was the first clear statement of Serbia's wishes and that it would remain on the path towards the EU.
(kosovocompromisestuff) Thursday, January 17, 2013
He rejected strongly any possibility of Serbia recognizing Kosovo's independence, saying it would be a breach of the Constitution, which was something he would never do.
It is unacceptable for Kosovo to get a seat in the UN, and if Serbia does not recognize Kosovo's independence, then Kosovo will not become a member of the UN, he underscored.
Serbia has nothing against Kosovo joining many international organizations and financial institutions, becoming a European region, but there is no chance of recognizing its independence, Nikolic explained. From this day on and for years and centuries to come, Serbia will not recognize Kosovo's independence and no one has the right to force it to do so, the president emphasized.
According to Nikolic, Serbia will never abandon EU integration willingly and can only be forced away from it. If that is what the EU wants, then it should say it does not want Serbia, he stressed, adding there was no need for the EU to invent requirements.
Serbia needs to complete the formal requirements from the European Commission's report, said Nikolic, adding he did not think about any other requirements and that he expected Serbia to get the start date for the EU accession talks.
Commenting on the dispute regarding the removal of the monument in the centre of Presevo dedicated to members of the terrorist organization called the Liberation Army of Presevo, Bujanovac and Medvedja, Nikolic remarked it would be best if Serbs and ethnic Albanians together chose the new location for the monument.
A monument in the centre of a town honouring those who killed representatives of the authorities, police officers and innocent people would not be tolerated for so long by any country, he pointed out.
The foreign correspondents were particularly interested in relations with Balkan countries, and Nikolic stated in reference to the relations with Croatia it would have been better if the presidents of the two countries had met before the prime ministers, explaining that it would have marked the start of good relations.
When it comes to Bosnia-Herzegovina, he said Bosniak member of that country's three-person Presidency Bakir Izetbegovic was welcome both as a guest and host and that he only needed to say the date for their meeting to occur. Regarding Montenegro, which he will visit on Friday, Nikolic said he would focus in particular on making sure that representatives of the Serb community were not always in opposition, but involved in decisions about life.
He also announced a visit to Turkey early in February, when he will present a proposal for Turkish investments in Serbia, and a stance about the announcements that Turkey intends to promote Kosovo's independence worldwide.
On the occasion of the anniversary of the Edict of Milan, Nikolic, in the capacity of the cochairman of the event, called on representatives of the Roman Catholic Church and the Protestant Church to deliver opening addresses together with Serbian Patriarch Irinej in the general Christian spirit of the celebration.
As for a possible visit by the Pope to Serbia, Nikolic said that this is an issue of relations between the two churches, and that the moment the Serbian Orthodox Church decides the Pope should come to Serbia he will offer to be his host.
It is unacceptable for Kosovo to get a seat in the UN, and if Serbia does not recognize Kosovo's independence, then Kosovo will not become a member of the UN, he underscored.
Serbia has nothing against Kosovo joining many international organizations and financial institutions, becoming a European region, but there is no chance of recognizing its independence, Nikolic explained. From this day on and for years and centuries to come, Serbia will not recognize Kosovo's independence and no one has the right to force it to do so, the president emphasized.
According to Nikolic, Serbia will never abandon EU integration willingly and can only be forced away from it. If that is what the EU wants, then it should say it does not want Serbia, he stressed, adding there was no need for the EU to invent requirements.
Serbia needs to complete the formal requirements from the European Commission's report, said Nikolic, adding he did not think about any other requirements and that he expected Serbia to get the start date for the EU accession talks.
Commenting on the dispute regarding the removal of the monument in the centre of Presevo dedicated to members of the terrorist organization called the Liberation Army of Presevo, Bujanovac and Medvedja, Nikolic remarked it would be best if Serbs and ethnic Albanians together chose the new location for the monument.
A monument in the centre of a town honouring those who killed representatives of the authorities, police officers and innocent people would not be tolerated for so long by any country, he pointed out.
The foreign correspondents were particularly interested in relations with Balkan countries, and Nikolic stated in reference to the relations with Croatia it would have been better if the presidents of the two countries had met before the prime ministers, explaining that it would have marked the start of good relations.
When it comes to Bosnia-Herzegovina, he said Bosniak member of that country's three-person Presidency Bakir Izetbegovic was welcome both as a guest and host and that he only needed to say the date for their meeting to occur. Regarding Montenegro, which he will visit on Friday, Nikolic said he would focus in particular on making sure that representatives of the Serb community were not always in opposition, but involved in decisions about life.
He also announced a visit to Turkey early in February, when he will present a proposal for Turkish investments in Serbia, and a stance about the announcements that Turkey intends to promote Kosovo's independence worldwide.
On the occasion of the anniversary of the Edict of Milan, Nikolic, in the capacity of the cochairman of the event, called on representatives of the Roman Catholic Church and the Protestant Church to deliver opening addresses together with Serbian Patriarch Irinej in the general Christian spirit of the celebration.
As for a possible visit by the Pope to Serbia, Nikolic said that this is an issue of relations between the two churches, and that the moment the Serbian Orthodox Church decides the Pope should come to Serbia he will offer to be his host.
