Foreign relations of Kosovo

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy will come for a visit in Bulgaria. However, he will not attend the EU-Western Balkans summit on 17 May, BNT reported. Rajoy will be on the informal gathering of the European Council tomorrow, but will not remain for the central forum.

Kosovo President Hashim Thaci will be hosted by German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Wednesday in Berlin, where one of the main topics will be the stalled EU-led dialogue on relations between Kosovo and Serbia.

"The meeting will be held on a symbolic date, namely on May 9, Europe Day," Thaci told the media on April 26.

Kosovo's Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister, Behgjet Pacolli, has started a diplomatic tour of Asia, seeking to drum up support for the country's quest for international recognition.

His office said that Pacolli will also take part in the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organisation for Islamic Cooperation, OIC, that will take place in May 5 and 6 in Bangladesh.

Previously, Spain pushed back against its top officials attending the gathering and lending their names to the summit's documents as equals to Pristina's representatives.

On Thursday, Tanjug reported Bratislava's stance, citing State Secretary in the Slovak Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs Ivan Korcok, who spoke for Belgrade-based daily Vecernje Novosti.

EU member states will refer to Western Balkan nations as "partners" and not as "states" in the text expected to be adopted at the end of EU-Western Balkans summit in Sofia in May.

The Serbian foreign minister on Wednesday addressed a ministerial conference of the Movement (NAM) in Baku, Azerbaijan, calling on all countries to "continue to oppose the unilateral attempts of so-called Kosovo at affirming its aspirations to membership of international organizations."

In an interview with the weekly Novi Magazin, the prime minister said she was convinced that "Kosovo cannot stop Serbia's path to the EU, because European integrations are one story, while solving relations with Pristina is another."

Serbian Foreign Minister and First Deputy PM Ivica Dacic said this on Tuesday, adding that authorities in Pristina, "with support of some foreign powers," have been prolonging the implementation of their obligations from the Brussels agreement.

BELGRADE - Serbia and Russia are in broad agreement on most international issues, FMs Ivica Dacic and Sergey Lavrov said at a meeting in Belgrade on Thursday.

When asked to comment on Kosovo President Hasim Taci's statement that a recognition of Kosovo by Russia would be "helpful", they said such a view did not change anything.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Wednesday that he did not exclude Russia's joining the European Union in the mediation of the dialogue between Serbia and Kosovar Albanians.