Dacic: Visa Liberalization for Kosovo Sends Bad Message to Belgrade

Ivica Dacic (BETAPHOTO/AMIR HAMZAGIC/DS)

Serbian Minister of Foreign Affairs Ivica Dacic has stated that the EU’s decision to grant Kosovo visa liberalization sends a bad message to Belgrade in a multitude of ways. 

Speaking for the RTS public service while attending an OSCE ministerial conference in Lodz, Poland, Dacic explained that “Pristina is constantly being rewarded for its unconstructive behavior and unilateral decisions, while those behaving fairly, like Serbia, are being threatened” – which clearly “demonstrates double standards.” 

Regarding Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti’s statements that the dialogue with Belgrade is not his priority and that the Community of Serb Municipalities is neither of interest to him nor will ever be formed, Dacic said that the international community should be far more concerned by such rhetoric than by anything Belgrade is doing. 

“[Kurti] has directly scorned the EU’s integrity – the Brussels Agreement, signed by Catherine Ashton and Hashim Thaci. It is in the EU’s interest to preserve its authority,” Dacic stated. 

According to the foreign minister, Serbia cannot prevent Kosovo from applying for EU candidacy because that decision rests with the Union’s member states, five of which have not recognized Kosovo, while Hungary, which has, has stated that it would not support Kosovo’s bid. 

Dacic further explained that Pristina will insist that its relationship with the EU is unrelated to the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue and will attempt to secure candidate status before any final agreement with Serbia proper is reached. This, however, would completely kill the negotiations with Belgrade, Dacic said. “What would be the purpose of [further] talks if [Kosovo] is granted candidacy? That would mean that it has been recognized as a state,” Dacic concluded.