Kosovo PM: Serb goods tax should not be linked to talks

Kosovo’s prime minister on Thursday insisted that talks on normalizing relations with Serbia should continue and should not be linked to Kosovo’s tax on Serb goods.

Ramush Haradinaj pointed out that Kosovo didn’t halt talks with Serbia when Belgrade prevented it from joining Interpol last year.

“The tax is Kosovo’s sovereign decision. It was not set against the dialogue,” Haradinaj said.

“Serbia has taken a lot of decisions but none of them has served to push us not to go to the table of talks.”

In November, Kosovo set a 100 percent import tariff on Serb and Bosnian goods, saying it would only be lifted when Belgrade recognizes its sovereignty and stops preventing it from joining international organizations.

The European Union-facilitated dialogue, which started in 2011, has stalled, with Belgrade saying it won’t take part until the tariff is lifted. Serbia does not accept the 2008 declaration of independence by its former territory.

Serbia says the Kosovo move has caused serious damage to its businesses.

The European Union has said that normalization of their bilateral ties is a precondition for further integration of both countries into the bloc.

Both the EU and the United States have urged Kosovo to revoke the tariff.

Earlier this week Haradinaj proposed an international conference to complete a final, legally binding agreement with Serbia.

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Llazar Semini contributed from Tirana, Albania.

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