"Serbia needs to focus on negotiations”

Dusan Lazic said that Serbia should accept the U.S. embassy’s answer and focus on negotiations. Following the U.S. embassy’s response to Serbia’s blasting of a statement made by Principal Deputy U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Volker, Lazic, a member of the foreign ministry’s advisory council, said that Serbia should drop the issue and focus on the remaining Kosovo status talks. "Serbia needs to focus on negotiations” “Even though the response does not seem to be enough, it would be better for our side not to add more tension to the situation and demand the U.S. to refute the statements made by its official,” Lazic said, adding that such relations with the strongest country in the world would not be beneficial. Lazic told B92 that Volker’s statement that the U.S. would support Kosovo independence if the Kosovo Albanians unilaterally declared independence in December, had not received a positive reaction throughout the world, nor had it helped the Kosovo status talks, which have just started. He said that there was nothing new about the stance taken by the U.S., and that it should not be a surprise to anyone. “The U.S. insists on supervised independence if the two sides cannot reach an agreement, and the U.S. is not expected to change its stance." "In this sense, Serbia needs to concentrate on the negotiations, and refrain from unnecessary statements and actions, which could be construed as a provocation to the world to aggravate the situation of Serbs currently living in Kosovo,” Lazic said.

"Serbia needs to focus on negotiations”

“Even though the response does not seem to be enough, it would be better for our side not to add more tension to the situation and demand the U.S. to refute the statements made by its official,” Lazić said, adding that such relations with the strongest country in the world would not be beneficial.

Lazić told B92 that Volker’s statement that the U.S. would support Kosovo independence if the Kosovo Albanians unilaterally declared independence in December, had not received a positive reaction throughout the world, nor had it helped the Kosovo status talks, which have just started.

He said that there was nothing new about the stance taken by the U.S., and that it should not be a surprise to anyone.

“The U.S. insists on supervised independence if the two sides cannot reach an agreement, and the U.S. is not expected to change its stance."

"In this sense, Serbia needs to concentrate on the negotiations, and refrain from unnecessary statements and actions, which could be construed as a provocation to the world to aggravate the situation of Serbs currently living in Kosovo,” Lazić said.