site.btaSerbian President Vucic: It Does Not Cross My Mind to Accept Any Recognition of Kosovo

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said it does not cross his mind to accept "any recognition" of Kosovo, the Tanjug news agency reported.

Vucic made the statement last night in Kazakhstan’s capital Astana, where he is on a two-day visit, after being asked by journalists to comment on claims that Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Djuric had discussed documents on recognizing the independence of Kosovo with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington.

"He (Marko Djuric) held excellent talks there. It does not cross my mind to accept any recognition of Kosovo. (…) It does not cross my mind to discuss Kosovo - not with Marco Rubio, but with Saint Peter. Kosovo is Serbia, it was and it will be, and that is the end of the story," Vucic said.

Serbia does not recognize the independence of its former province of Kosovo, which declared independence unilaterally in 2008.

The two sides have been engaged in an EU-mediated dialogue on normalizing relations since 2011. Several agreements have been reached, although not all have been implemented. Progress in the process is considered key to both countries' aspirations for EU membership.