President says Kosovo committed to dialogue

NEWS 26.04.201816:25
Tanjug/AP, Visar Kryeziu

Kosovo remains committed to the dialogue with Serbia and wants to see an agreement bringing peace and stability, Kosovo President Hashim Thaci said on Thursday.

Speaking to the media after a meeting with European Council President Donald Tusk, Thaci said that Kosovo has to urgently implement to speed up the European integration process.

“The minimum of our ambitions is to get the status of EU candidate country in the near future,” he said.

“There can be no changes or improved relations without an overall normalization and full implementation of agreements. I am more optimistic following my meetings with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and today with Kosovo President Hashim Thaci,” Tusk told the news conference.  

This is a strategic decision which will pay off in the long term, Tusk said, repeating what he told Vucic in Belgrade a day earlier.  

He said that Kosovo came a step closer to a visa-free regime with the European Union when it completed the demarcation of its border with Montenegro but warned that a consensus has to be reached to combat corruption and organized crime.   “I am convinced that you won’t give up on reforms. The fight against corruption and organized crime demands a political consensus and I believe that will allow you to continue with your policies,” Tusk said.