Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has vowed to retaliate if Kosovo seeks membership in any international organization.
“On that day, if their mentors do not warn them, we will continue our [lobbying] campaign [for Kosovo’s derecognition] and I promise them that we will be five times more successful,” Vucic reportedly told journalists on Sunday.
His statement comes after Kosovo’s Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti told the parliament that his government has not suspended the work to join international organizations.
“There is no suspension of our activities, we have agreed with our partners that our membership in international organizations be done together with them, together with our international partners,” Hoti told MPs who grilled him on Friday over the dialogue with Serbia.
US envoy for the dialogue, Richard Grenell had announced that Hoti had agreed to stop seeking membership in international organizations, at the request of Serbia. His government had already lifted reciprocity measures in trade. In return, Serbia would pause lobbying countries to withdraw their recognition of Kosovo.
This was in preparation for the now postponed White House summit between Vucic and Thacic that would have marked the resumption of the dialogue.
However, the European Union was able to bring both parties back to the dialogue table a few days later.
