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Serbian president says ready for referendum on Kosovo

The Serbian president says referendum on the self-proclaimed Kosovo should be held as soon as possible

BELGRADE, August 7. /TASS/. The referendum on the self-proclaimed Kosovo should be held as soon as possible, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic told reporters at a news conference on Tuesday.

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"Do we need attempts to find a solution? Will we get more in the future than we can get now? As Serbia’s president, I believe that we need to resolve the Kosovo issue as soon as possible," Vucic stressed.

According to the Serbian president, resolving the Kosovo issue will bring peace between Serbs and Albanians, which, in turn, will make it possible for Serbia to solve economic problems, achieve investment growth, improve the demographic situation and boost the country’s image.

He noted that all Serbian citizens need to show responsibility on the Kosovo issue. "Being well aware of people’s plight in Kosovo, I assume responsibility in this matter. However, all citizens of Serbia must likewise show responsibility," Vucic stated.

He added that, if citizens’ answer in a referendum is different, he will "bear political responsibility." "The people must make the final decision," Vucic said.

According to the president, the question "whether citizens agree with a consensus on Kosovo, which could be reached someday" will be discussed in the referendum.

Moving towards referendum

Vucic said earlier this year that a decision on the Kosovo issue will be resolved in a referendum. However, on June 27, the president said the country’s leadership currently has no options to resolve the Kosovo issue, which could be submitted to a referendum.

In July 2017, Vucic declared the beginning of a broad public dialogue on the independence of self-proclaimed Kosovo, whose recognition is the basic premise for the country’s accession to the EU. Albania, Macedonia, Serbia, Montenegro and Turkey are currently the main candidates for EU membership. President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker said last autumn that Serbia and Montenegro could join the EU by 2025.

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