Vucic discusses situation in north of Kosovo-Metohija with Lajcak, Escobar

BELGRADE - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic met with the EU special envoy for the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue Miroslav Lajcak and US special Western Balkans envoy Gabriel Escobar in Belgrade on Tuesday evening.

The meeting was also attended by the head of the EU Delegation to Serbia Emanuele Giaufret and US Ambassador to Belgrade Christopher Hill.

It addressed the present situation in the north of Kosovo-Metohija, ways to reduce tensions on the ground, implementation of agreements reached to date and possibilities for progress of the EU-facilitated dialogue, the presidential press office said in a statement.

"Vucic reiterated the full commitment of the Republic of Serbia to the process of dialogue with Pristina, reaching of compromise and sustainable solutions for the sake of better life and relations between Serbs and Albanians, and underlined the safety of our people in Kosovo-Metohija as the key demand," the statement notes.

Vucic also reiterated the insistence on full implementation of agreements reached and signed in Brussels, primarily, the establishment of a Community of Serb Municipalities, and called on the international community to engage more with Pristina in that direction.

The EU and US officials reiterated a joint demand for an urgent halt to tensions and violence on the ground, holding of new elections with participation from Kosovo Serbs and a return to dialogue on normalisation.

The parties agreed that de-escalation and a return to dialogue were necessary for better life of all citizens and progress on the EU integration path, as well as for stability across the region, the statement added.