Selakovic: The dialogue is burdened by Pristina's lack of will to implement the agreements

Speaking on TV Pink, Selakovic said that the upcoming joint visit of the US President's special envoy for the Western Balkans Gabriel Escobar and the EU representative for dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina was certainly important, but that it remained to be seen how effective it would be in this regard.

Minister Selakovic said that it was a fact that the United States, by being present in the dialogue, wanted to support the efforts of the EU and Lajčák to continue the dialogue between Belgrade and Priština, but also stated that since the arrival of Albin Kurti to the position of head of the government of provisional institutions in Pristina, there was no substantial dialogue.

"The substantial dialogue is burdened by the absence of any kind of interest and will of Pristina to implement what was agreed so far, which is their obligation. Their obligation is to form the Community of Serb Municipalities in accordance with the Brussels Agreement. Belgrade has fulfilled its obligations with dedication, and not only that Pristina has failed to do so, but it publicly, clearly and openly claims that it will not do that", said the Head of Serbian diplomacy.

Asked about the "Belgian model" for the formation of the Community of Serb Municipalities, which was heard in the public, Minister Selakovic said that the Brussels Agreement clearly defined the competencies of the Community of Serb Municipalities and that the implementation plan states very precisely what Belgrade should do, and what Pristina should do.

“Pristina tried to change the content of the Brussels agreement through a kind of trickery, through the narrative of examining the constitutionality of the agreement. The point is that they are looking for a sufficient reason and excuse. Western countries that should put pressure on Pristina avoid doing so in an effective and proper way, and they initially supported Kurti's policy to the maximum", said the Head of Serbian diplomacy.

As he pointed out, one of the topics of talks with Escobar and Lajčák will be the holding of elections in April in Kosovo and Metohija, which Belgrade will insist on.

"We will insist on that, it is up to the OSCE mission to ensure the smooth conduct of the election process", said Minister Selakovic.

When asked about the creation of the so-called territorial-administrative unit between Albania and Kosovo and Metohija, 30 kilometres deep, the Head of Serbian diplomacy said that this was just an opportunity to see how silent Brussels would be, failing to respond to something like that, and where one could see their hypocrisy and two-facedness when it comes to dealing with the challenges facing the Western Balkans.

"Much like they are silent to all statements concerning the greater Albania, they are also silent to such processes, and Albanians on both sides of the border are working hard on this kind of rapprochement", said Minister Selakovic.

Regarding the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), the Head of Serbian diplomacy stated that Serbia respected the Dayton Peace Accords as its guarantor, and the territorial integrity of BiH in the same way as the territorial integrity of the Republic of Srpska.

He also referred to yesterday's failed negotiations on the reform of the election legislation in Neum, which he said did not yield results, but showed that there were several problems in BiH and that Republic of Srpska was not the only, key and main problem.

"It is important for Serbia to have a stable political situation in the region", said Minister Selakovic, emphasizing that the crisis situations in the region tell us how valuable political stability in Serbia was and how much it meant, because it was almost non-existent in the region.

According to him, political stability enabled Serbia to be the fastest growing economy in Europe, to record the highest level of foreign direct investment, to reduce unemployment, and to be recognized on all meridians as a credible partner with which countries want to cooperate.

"In order to preserve such a position of ours, it is important to promote our cooperation and that is why we are interested in the stability of the countries in the region", said Minister Selakovic, emphasizing that Serbia was a pillar of political stability in this part of Europe and that it was recognized as the locomotive of development in the Western Balkans, as well as a country that, owing to the seriousness of its leadership, could have a calming and positive effect on all trends in the region.

Regarding the information on the preparation of the assassination of the President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic, Minister Selakovic stated that we had very credible sources and evidence that an assassination was being prepared and that any kind of suspicion concerning such information should be dispelled.

"We are a country where the Prime Minister was killed at one point, and that is the first thing that tells us that this is possible", said the Serbian Foreign Minister, adding that the security of top state officials must be at the highest level.