Turkish PM's statement was "not friendly," says MFA

Source: Beta, Tanjug

BELGRADE -- The Serbian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said on Thursday a statement made by Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan while in Kosovo was "not friendly."

(Tanjug, file)

"In the Republic of Serbia, such statements cannot be received as friendly. They depart from assurances that we get in contacts with Turkey's top officials," the ministry said.
On Wednesday, Erdogan was in Prizren when he said that “Kosovo is Turkey, and Turkey is Kosovo”. Kosovo and the Turkish people "have the same history and civilization," according to him.

"The town of (Serbian medieval) Tzar Dušan is probably the least adequate place for such statements. Everyone in the world knows that Kosovo is a Serbian word, and Serbia's territory, even those who recognized that quasi-state," the ministry noted in the release.

Erdogan and Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama attended on Wednesday the official opening of a new terminal at the international airport in Priština, the ATA news agency reported.

"When I come to Kosovo, I feel at home. Turkey was among the first countries that recognized Kosovo's independence and we will continue assisting Kosovo," Erdogan said.

Beta is reporting that In a statement given to the Večernje Novosti daily, Prime Minister Ivica Dačić said that Erdogan's statement was "undiplomatic" and that the words spoken in Prizren "certainly do not contribute to political stability in Kosovo and Metohija, or to the restoration of confidence between the Serbs and the Albanians."