Greece reiterates support for dialogue between Serbia, Kosovo

Greece reiterates support for dialogue between Serbia, Kosovo

Kosovo's application for EU membership will not be put in procedure by Czech Republic, says Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic

By Talha Ozturk

BELGRADE, Serbia (AA) - Greece’s foreign minister reaffirmed Athens’ support on Monday for dialogue between Serbia and Kosovo for the normalization of relations.

Nikos Dendias made the remarks during a joint press conference with his Serbian counterpart Ivica Dacic in the capital Belgrade.

Dendias said that all existing agreements have to be implemented fully.

''I am going to (Kosovo’s capital) Pristina and I will say the same thing there,'' he added.

Brussels has been working to facilitate dialogue between Serbia and Kosovo with the aim of easing tensions and resolving bilateral issues, which are a requirement for full-fledged membership in the European Union.

​​​​​​​Dacic for his part said the Czech Republic, which currently holds the rotating EU presidency, will not put Kosovo's EU membership request on the agenda but will only inform the member states that it has received the request.

“The Czech Republic has received the application and according to announcements, as things stand now, at the session that should be held this week they will only inform others that they have received the application and will not put it further into procedure,” said Dacic, adding the issue will be dealt with by the next country presiding over the EU, Sweden, which is due to take over the EU presidency from Jan. 1.

Serbia still has a tough fight ahead in the Council of Europe, he noted.

"Ireland did not want to finish this work during its mandate. Now it's Iceland's turn...Given that Iceland is holding a summit of Council of Europe member states, it is not in their interest to stir up various problems. It's in their interest for that to pass in some sort of agreement. That is why we expect that this topic will probably not be on the agenda soon," said Dacic.

He added that Serbia's interest is keeping the peace along with dialogue to resolve all disputed issues.

Kosovo's top officials last Wednesday signed an official application for the country to join the EU.

The application was submitted to the Czech Republic, which currently presides over the EU.

Kosovo, predominantly inhabited by Albanians, broke away from Serbia in 1999 and declared independence in 2008. It aspires for EU membership and aims to gain a visa-free regime for the EU zone.

But Serbia has not recognized Kosovo’s independence and sees its former province as its territory.

Kosovo is also not a member of NATO or the United Nations.

In early December, European Council President Charles Michel said the EU will give an update on Kosovo's visa liberalization.

Kosovo is among a handful of countries in Europe which is outside the EU’s visa-free regime.

Spain, Slovakia, Cyprus, Romania and Greece are the EU member countries that do not recognize the independence of Kosovo.

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