We are committed to dialogue but that does not mean Kosovo-Metohija's membership in UN

Serbia remains committed to the dialogue as the only way to normalize relations with Priština but that does not involve a separate membership of Kosovo and Metohija in the United Nations, Director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija, Marko Đurić stated today.

"Serbia remains committed to the dialogue as the only way to normalize relations with Priština, and resolve all outstanding issues. For us, that does not imply Kosovo and Metohija's separate membership in the UN from Serbia. Having said that, that does not mean that we should not discuss institutional cooperation between Belgrade and Priština in order to provide conditions for a better life for all citizens in Kosovo and Metohija," Đurić told Tanjug.

Commenting on the statement made by the USA ambassador Michael Kirby, that normalizing relations between Belgrade and Priština implies the so-called Kosovo's membership in UN, Đurić stated that it is well known that Serbia and USA hold a different view on the status of Kosovo and Metohija, as well as on the issue of its membership in international organizations.

"While we are grateful to ambassador Kirby for his contribution to further development of relations between our two countries, I believe that our relations should continue to consolidate as we have successfully done over the previous years: not emphasizing the differences but rather isolating the issues on which we disagree," Đurić stated.

Đurić underscored that Serbia remains committed to the dialogue as the only way towards normalizing relations with Priština and resolving all outstanding issues.