"West should condemn Rama's statement" - FM

Source: B92, Beta, Danas

BELGRADE -- The West should condemn the statement of Albanian PM Edi Rama made during his visit to Belgrade that Serbia "should recognize Kosovo", says Ivica Dačić.

(Tanjug, file)

"The West should condemn the rhetoric of the Albanian prime minister, but double standards are clearly present, because if Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vučić did something of the kind in Tirana, there would probably be condemnation," the foreign minister told the Belgrade-based daily Danas.
Asked whether if was the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that had organized the visit and whether it was possible to avoid the news conference incident, Dačić said that the visit and the program were agreed on between the two prime ministers and their cabinets.

Dačić spoke to Rama on the first day of his visit to Belgrade, and also attended the joint press conference.

On Tuesday, Dačić spoke for B92 TV to day that the visit turned out to be "frivolous" and that the Albanian prime minister violated diplomatic protocol and an agreement on the topics that were to be talked about.

Kosovo Office Director Marko Đurić commented for B92 to say the visit could have achieved much, but failed to do so, and blamed the Albanian side. MP Riza Halimi, who represents ethnic Albanians from southern Serbia, disagreed with this, saying Rama's trip also produced positive results.