"Serbia ready for chapter on Kosovo"

"Serbia ready for chapter on Kosovo"

"Dialogue with Priština is a requirement and we are ready for that and for Chapter 35," she told the Belgrade-based daily Danas.

When asked if that meant the Kosovo chapter would be started first and when it could be expected, she responded that the question had to be put before the EU members.

"Our job is to be prepared. I do not know when the chapter might be opened, because a consensus between all the EU members is needed for the countries to make a decision on it," she stated.

The adoption of the negotiating position for Chapter 32 is under way, she remarked.

"The Working Party on Enlargement and Countries Negotiating Accession to the Union (COELA) has just sent the Committee of Permanent Representatives (COREPER) a proposed joint negotiating position for Chapter 32, concerning finance, and that is a step towards its adoption," she said.

When asked about potential delays to the talks because of Serbia's refusal to impose sanctions on Russia, she replied: "Russia is not a topic, nor is it something that becomes an obligation with accession. The requirement to open any of the chapters is an evaluation of our progress," Miščević explained.