PM: Belgrade committed to normalizing relations with Pristin

BERLIN - Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic has said that Belgrade is committed to normalizing relations with Pristina, but recognizing the independence of Kosovo, proclaimed unilaterally by ethnic Albanians, has never been a topic of negotiations between Belgrade and Pristina in Brussels.

We have taken on commitments regarding Pristina that we have honored, Vucic said in an interview for the German daily Die Welt, adding that the pledges from Brussels had not been easy to communicate politically to the Serbian people.

The prime minister said that on the day of the signing of the Brussels agreement on normalizing relations with Pristina (April 19, 2013), he had faced anger of Serbs in Kosovo. I let them insult me for the concessions made by the Serbian government, he said.

Of course, there are problems and delays in implementing the agreement, but we stand behind our words, and nobody can say those were empty promises, said Vucic.

The implementation of such an agreement needs time, especially as is taking place in a politically explosive environment, he said.

Vucic said that the implementation of the Brussels Agreement is carried out in a step-by-step fashion, adding that there had been no violence in Kosovo recently and that the political rhetoric on both sides was obviously less aggressive than a few months before, which must be seen as successes not to be belittled.

When it comes to relations with Moscow, Vucic said that Serbia respected the territorial integrity of Ukraine but did not support the sanctions against Russia.

He said that Serbia fostered traditionally close relations with Moscow, and was one hundred percent dependent on Russian energy, which, he said, would not prevent...