Serbia says it will not recognize Kosovo and it will not accept Priština authority in north

Belgrade has a red line it will not cross in its talks with Priština, head of the Serbian team for the talks Borislav Stefanović said.

The line is not to recognize the Kosovo Albanian unilateral declaration of independence or agree to let northern, predominantly Serb-inhabited area of Kosovo come under the authority of the territory’s central government.

“It is unacceptable to alter the present positions in Kosovo in any way,” Stefanović said ahead of the second round of the talks in Brussels next Monday.

“We need to get a legal framework that would reaffirm the situation in Kosovo and be focused on protecting the Serbs, their presence and their institutions,” Stefanović noted.

If Serbia is not going to recognize Kosovo and Priština is not going to relinquish its claim on independence, then they must work to find a way to live together while ensuring the safety of the Kosovo Serbs, Stefanović argued.