“We can continue dialogue without mediator“

BELGRADE Serbian Prime Minister Ivica Dacic has said that Belgrade will continue negotiations with Pristina without a mediator if necessary. He stressed that there was no other way to solve the Kosovo issue. “We can continue dialogue without mediator“ “I have already noted that Serbia is ready to continue direct talks with Pristina if there are no more mediators, primarily because the Kosovo issue is both Belgrade and Pristina’s problem and we need to find a way to solve it,” the prime minister told daily Danas. When asked if it was realistic to expect Serbia to get a date for the start of the EU accession talks in June, he said that the most realistic thing to do was to stop tying Serbia’s biggest issue with the EU accession. “We are solving the Kosovo issue so we could live normally, not so we could get a date. Then again, this date is certainly our goal for the same reason - so we could live normally. But we need to be aware all the time in the process that we are solving Kosovo for the sake of Kosovo and Serbia and that we need to solve it regardless of the fact when we will get the date,” Dacic was quoted as saying. Commenting on his recent visit to Moscow, he said that Russia strongly supported the Serbian government’s policy. “Russia is our friend, just the kind of friend we need today. When we decide something, Russia will support us and we will never ask Russia to decide something for us. Unlike earlier, we do not see Russia as a ticket to play when all other options fail and we do not pull its sleeve when we mess something up without informing it,” the prime minister concluded. Ivica Dacic (Beta, file) Beta Danas

“We can continue dialogue without mediator“

“I have already noted that Serbia is ready to continue direct talks with Priština if there are no more mediators, primarily because the Kosovo issue is both Belgrade and Priština’s problem and we need to find a way to solve it,” the prime minister told daily Danas.

When asked if it was realistic to expect Serbia to get a date for the start of the EU accession talks in June, he said that the most realistic thing to do was to stop tying Serbia’s biggest issue with the EU accession.

“We are solving the Kosovo issue so we could live normally, not so we could get a date. Then again, this date is certainly our goal for the same reason - so we could live normally. But we need to be aware all the time in the process that we are solving Kosovo for the sake of Kosovo and Serbia and that we need to solve it regardless of the fact when we will get the date,” Dačić was quoted as saying.

Commenting on his recent visit to Moscow, he said that Russia strongly supported the Serbian government’s policy.

“Russia is our friend, just the kind of friend we need today. When we decide something, Russia will support us and we will never ask Russia to decide something for us. Unlike earlier, we do not see Russia as a ticket to play when all other options fail and we do not pull its sleeve when we mess something up without informing it,” the prime minister concluded.