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Serbia will not cede control over Presevo Valley to Kosovo - Serbia’s top diplomat

Kosovo Albanians have an ambition "to go to the city of Nis, take half of Montenegro, half of Macedonia and northern Greece"

SOCHI, August 21. /TASS/. Belgrade considers Pristina’s claims for control over Presevo Valley (an Albanian-majority region in southern Serbia bordering the unrecognized republic) as unrealistic, Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic said on Tuesday.

"Such plans only prove that they are not ready for any compromise solutions and expose their zeal to implement their Great Albania project," he said when asked by TASS to comment on media reports on such an option. "It can be possible only when pigs begin to fly."

According to the Serbian top diplomat, Kosovo Albanians have an ambition "to go to the city of Nis, take half of Montenegro, half of Macedonia and northern Greece". "But they don’t understand that the situation in the world has changed," he noted.

"Yesterday and the day before yesterday, they in Pristina celebrated Bill Clinton’s birthday and I think it was the only place in the world, but for Bill Clinton’s own house, to celebrate it. It only proves that they are behind the times. The times have changed and they won’t be able to do what they want," Dacic stressed.

On Monday, Kosovo’s authorities said they were beginning to prepare documents to demarcate the border with central Serbia. On August 9, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic expressed support for the idea of delimitation with Albanians in the unrecognized Republic of Kosovo, aimed at preventing future conflicts. Kosovo leader Hashim Thaci has also been insisting on adjustment of the border between Belgrade and Pristina.

Serbia’s Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija unilaterally proclaimed independence in February 2008, which was recognized by the United Nations Court of Justice in 2010. By now, according to Belgrade, Kosovo has been recognized by 105 world nations, while Pristina says there are 117 such countries. More than 60 countries, including Russia, China, India, Israel, Greece and Spain, are categorically against recognizing Kosovo’s independence.