Dacic: Rama's message more important than visit programme

BELGRADE - Serbian First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ivica Dacic stated that the real issue lies in the nature of the messages Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama would send during his forthcoming visit to Serbia and not in the answer to the question as to whether or not he should go to Presevo, municipality in southern Serbia which is home to majority ethnic Albanian population.

In a statement for Radio Television of Serbia, Dacic said that the programme of the Albanian prime minister's visit has not been thoroughly defined at this point, which is why the list of his activities during the visit is still uncertain. Nevertheless, it is certain that Rama will visit Serbia on November 10, he added.

Dacic said that the visit to Presevo is one of the propositions put forth by Albania and recalled that during their visits to Serbia, other Albanian officials previously visited Presevo and Bujanovac as municipalities with ethnic Albanian majority population.

The real issue lies in the messages that will be sent on this occasion and not in whether or not he should go there, Dacic said and added that Serbia expects that the messages sent during the visit would be in keeping with the publicly voiced principle and goal of the visit, which is embodied in the development of he two countries' good relations, the Serbian minister of foreign affairs released.

According to him, during his stay in Serbia, Rama will be accompanied by the Albanian ministers of foreign affairs and economy who attended a regional meeting in Belgrade several days ago.

Photo Tanjug, Z. Zestic (archive)