VUCIC: EU Wants Us Not to Oppose Kosovo U.N. Membership

Aleksandar Vucic

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has said he cannot anticipate what the U.S. might propose, but that he has an idea about what the EU wants concerning Serbia’s relations with Kosovo.

“I think they would like to tell us not to oppose Kosovo’s membership in the U.N., but they do not know what to offer us in return. In other words, we would not have to formally recognize [Kosovo’s independence], but should not be against them getting a chair in the U.N.,” Vucic said for the June 18 issue of the Vecernje Novosti daily.

“I expect,” Vucic added, that Europe “will tell us that we will get [EU] membership in a few years, which will put us in a difficult position; but that is not enough. Serbia has to be offered much more,” Vucic said.

Talking about Kosovo President Hashim Thaci’s repeated demand that the goal of the agreement be mutual recognition, Vucic recalled that U.S. President Donald Trump has tweeted on the subject as well.

“He spoke about [mutual recognition] in his letter to me and Thaci, which is more important. I do not think that the U.S. will change its stand, nor will Germany or France. But, whether we will agree to it and tell Thaci – Bravo, you got everything – all I can say is that it won’t happen like that,” Vucic said.