Starović: We are ready to adequately respond to Pristina's moves

He points out that Belgrade is ready to respond decisively and adequately if Pristina actively launches a campaign for the recognition of Kosovo's independence and demands for membership in international organizations after the one-year moratorium on recognition issues has expired.

Starović notes that Serbia is fully committed to respecting the Washington Agreement and that it will not be the first to give up the prescribed moratorium and suspend the non-recognition campaign, but that it will react seriously and decisively to possible moves by Pristina or its sponsors.

"Precisely because of the commitment to the Washington Agreement, at this moment we cannot talk about the specific number and names of countries that would withdraw recognition, but we are ready if Pristina activates such a scenario", Starović told Tanjug.

He states that Belgrade has information that Pristina is preparing, after the expiration of the one-year moratorium, to activate efforts to gain membership in certain international organizations, primarily in the Council of Europe.

According to him, the Pristina side believes that it has a relatively favorable position in that organization, having in mind a significant number of member states of the Council of Europe that have recognized the secession of Kosovo.

Such a decision, warns Starović, would be extremely harmful and wrong, and contrary to the statute of the Council of Europe, which, first of all, in order to get membership, obliges a state to provide a two-thirds majority in the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe.

"Also, the statute prescribes that the state that applies for membership must be a member of the UN, which Kosovo is not, not to mention the provisions that prescribe the maximum commitment of candidates to human rights, which are not discussed at all in Kosovo and Metohija", says Starović.

He emphasizes that, if Pristina decides for such moves, Serbia's response will be clear and aimed at preventing flagrant violations of the Council of Europe's statute and preventing such an initiative from bearing fruit, but he expresses doubt that it could happen.

Starović notes that the potential activation of Pristina's application for admission to the Council of Europe would immediately result in the activation of Serbia's campaign for the non-recognition of Kosovo, in which, he points out, our country was very successful in the previous four years, and 18 countries withdrew recognition.

"Despite these successes, our desire was to preserve to some extent a positive atmosphere that would enable progress in the dialogue and the search for a sustainable, compromise solution. If we enter such a scenario, not on our own will, the atmosphere in the dialogue will be seriously disturbed", Starović estimates.

When it comes to Pristina's requests for membership in UNESCO and Interpol, Starović points out that Serbia has been successful in preventing Kosovo's membership in those organizations in the previous years.

"Having in mind the procedures that exist and the balance of power in those organizations, Pristina's work is far more difficult, and we will succeed much easier in thwarting their intentions, if they activate their demands", says Starović.

Speaking about the continuation of the technical dialogue in Brussels, Starović said that Belgrade is fully committed to the dialogue with Pristina under the auspices of the EU and pointed out that the Serbian delegation is preparing well for every round of dialogue, including technical.

He points out that Belgrade is ready to discuss a whole range of different topics, which, as he says, it has proven in previous years.

Starović states that the position of the Pristina side during the previous rounds of dialogue does not leave too much room for optimism for a certain progress to be made.

"The Prime Minister of the Provisional Institutions of Pristina, Albin Kurti, has shown that he is not inclined to any dialogue and search for sustainable compromise solutions. Because of all that, our expectations are not high, but official Belgrade will remain committed to the dialogue and will not deviate from the negotiating table", Starović emphasizes.

Source: Tanjug

Photo: Tanjug