Dacic: Kyrgyzstan will not recognise so-called Kosovo

BISHKEK - Serbian First Deputy PM and FM Ivica Dacic on Thursday began an official trip to Central Asia - the first by a Serbian FM in decades - during which he will visit Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.

"This is the first-ever visit to Kyrgyzstan by a Serbian FM," Dacic said in Bishkek after meetings with top Kyrgyz officials, and added that his discussions with FM Zheenbek Kulubaev and President Sadyr Zhaparov had been very useful and would significantly contribute to further development of bilateral cooperation.

"I would like to say that their positions remain very firm - they say they will never recognise the unilaterally declared independence of Kosovo-Metohija," Dacic said, announcing the establishment of a bilateral economic commission to boost the modest trade volume between the two countries.

He said Kyrgyzstan was also very interested in development of cooperation in defence and the military industry as well as in education, culture and science.

He announced that Kulubaev would visit Serbia by the end of the year.

According to a statement released by the Serbian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dacic especially noted the significance of boosting Serbia's presence in Central Asia and said comprehensive strengthening of bilateral relations with countries in the region was crucial for that.