Vucic: We started changing things after decades of silence in Serbian-Albanian relations

BELGRADE - Speaking to reporters after a meeting with Albanian PM Edi Rama in Belgrade, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Friday evening they had started changing a bad political legacy after decades of silence between Serbia and Albania and Serbs and Albanians.

"We have demonstrated in the past years, through concrete results, that our countries and our peoples can move forward much faster and cooperate much better," Vucic said at a joint press conference with Rama.

He said they had discussed all regional affairs, including the Berlin process.

"We welcome Rama's engagement and his personal contribution as part of the Berlin Process," Vucic said, noting that the Berlin Process was a useful regional format that would help to advance the reconciliation process and to overcome inherited problems from the past.

He said they had also discussed their often differing views on the situation in Kosovo-Metohija.

"But I do not think it would be fair to reveal anything in Rama's presence when it comes to differences between our views on how to solve problems, and I believe he will not do that either. We will leave that to our countries and for further discussions this evening," he said.

Rama said the meeting with Vucic had also addressed the situation in the north of Kosovo-Metohija but that it should not be discussed publicly in order to avoid further deterioration.

He said they had developed a habit of speaking openly and agreeing to disagree and, in spite of that, a habit of discussing objectives everyone in the region must have in common so that the peace process could be advanced.

Our duty is to make peace irreversible, he said.

Rama visited Belgrade as part of a tour of the region in preparation for October's Berlin Process summit in Tirana.