PARIS – Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić and the President of Kosovo Hasim Thaçi met on Tuesday with French President Emmanuel Macron on the sidelines of the second Paris Peace Forum. The meeting was unplanned, and was suddenly called by Macron earlier that day.
Both Vučić and Thaçi met with Macron individually during the Summit.
The President of Serbia explained that the goal of the sudden meeting was familiarising Macron with the current situation between Serbia and Kosovo, reports Tanjug. Vučić also added that he had reiterated the Serbian stance that dialogue could be continued if Pristina lifted its tariffs on Serbian goods.
“Kosovo is ready to continue the dialogue with Serbia in search of a peace agreement that will contribute to reciprocal recognition and membership in the United Nations, thus opening the way for Kosovo’s development and integration into NATO and the EU”, remarked the President of Kosovo Hashim Thaçi after the meeting.
Asked to comment on Thaçi’s statement that Pristina was ready for a peace agreement with Belgrade, Vučić replied he had heard that from Thaçi two or three years ago, reports Tanjug.
“He is ready for a peace agreement in which Serbia will recognize Kosovo as independent. It is as if I would come out and say that I am ready for making a fantastic agreement with the EU, and that they should transfer 15 billion euros to Serbia, and that, in return, we will admit that the EU has done nothing wrong for the past 18 years”, said Vučić.
He also assessed that Macron was seeking to become more actively involved in a resolution of the Kosovo problem and get the two sides to return to dialogue as soon as possible.
“There is no doubt France and the EU wanted the most significant role in this regard, while respecting the US and everyone else”, Vučić told journalists after the meeting, commenting on whether Macron was seeking to become more actively involved in normalization of relations between Serbia and Kosovo.
Asked if Macron had insisted on the suspension of tariffs, Vučić recalled the French head of state had spoken about the issue countless times.
“We are waiting for them (Pristina) to lift the tariffs so that we can talk – of course, if they want to talk about agreeing on compromise,” said Vučić.
The second Paris Peace Forum, bringing together heads of state and international organizations to find solutions and discuss joint action on global issues such as climate change, cybersecurity, migration and the fight against terrorism, ends today.