“Nikolić-Jahjaga meeting does not entail recognition”

BELGRADE Serbian government’s Office for Kosovo Director Aleksandar Vulin expects a meeting between the Serbian and Kosovo presidents to be a symbolic event. He said he expected Serbia to show what it wanted to do about Kosovo at the meeting on Wednesday. “Nikolic-Jahjaga meeting does not entail recognition” “Serbia will reiterate the positions outlined in its Platform on Kosovo and state it has no intention of backing down from it,” Vulin told daily Vecernje novosti. In a response to comments that with this meeting Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic was trying to show that the Kosovo policy of Prime Minister Ivica Dacic had not won, Vulin said that when it comes to this issue the government was absolutely united. "If the government wanted one thing and the president another when it comes to resolving the Kosovo issue, we would not be able to get things moving at all. Great strides have been made in the last few months. This meeting will show Serbia is united and, when it comes to Kosovo at least, there are no differences of opinion among top state officials," he stressed. Asked about the objections made by Kosovo Serbs to Belgrade's latest moves in connection with Kosovo and their fear that the state would withdraw its institutions from the majority Serb north, Vulin was adamant the government would not agree to this. "Of course there is a lot of pressure for Serbia to withdraw, to shut down its institutions, but we will not accept this. There can be no life in Kosovo without our institutions," said Vulin. “In order to get a date for accession talks with the EU, Serbia needs to implement all the agreements that have been reached to date, but this does not entail recognition of Kosovo's independence,” he was quoted as saying. "Normalization of relations means a whole series of things, but definitely not a recognition of independence. No one has asked this of us, and we will never do it," said the Office for Kosovo director. Nikolic will meet with Kosovo President Atifete Jahjaga in Brussels on Wednesday afternoon. Aleksandar Vulin (Tanjug, file) Tanjug

“Nikolić-Jahjaga meeting does not entail recognition”

“Serbia will reiterate the positions outlined in its Platform on Kosovo and state it has no intention of backing down from it,” Vulin told daily Večernje novosti.

In a response to comments that with this meeting Serbian President Tomislav Nikolić was trying to show that the Kosovo policy of Prime Minister Ivica Dačić had not won, Vulin said that when it comes to this issue the government was absolutely united.

"If the government wanted one thing and the president another when it comes to resolving the Kosovo issue, we would not be able to get things moving at all. Great strides have been made in the last few months. This meeting will show Serbia is united and, when it comes to Kosovo at least, there are no differences of opinion among top state officials," he stressed.

Asked about the objections made by Kosovo Serbs to Belgrade's latest moves in connection with Kosovo and their fear that the state would withdraw its institutions from the majority Serb north, Vulin was adamant the government would not agree to this.

"Of course there is a lot of pressure for Serbia to withdraw, to shut down its institutions, but we will not accept this. There can be no life in Kosovo without our institutions," said Vulin.

“In order to get a date for accession talks with the EU, Serbia needs to implement all the agreements that have been reached to date, but this does not entail recognition of Kosovo's independence,” he was quoted as saying.

"Normalization of relations means a whole series of things, but definitely not a recognition of independence. No one has asked this of us, and we will never do it," said the Office for Kosovo director.

Nikolić will meet with Kosovo President Atifete Jahjaga in Brussels on Wednesday afternoon.