Serbia Seeks Compromise On Kosovo, Ready To Protect Kosovar Serbs 'By Any Means'- Official

Serbia prioritizes a peaceful dialogue-based solution to the Kosovo issue but is determined to protect Serbs in Kosovo by any means necessary, the press service of the Serbian Government's Office for Kosovo and Metohija (KiM) said in a statement on Friday

BELGRADE (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 24th May, 2019) Serbia prioritizes a peaceful dialogue-based solution to the Kosovo issue but is determined to protect Serbs in Kosovo by any means necessary, the press service of the Serbian Government's Office for Kosovo and Metohija (KiM) said in a statement on Friday.

On Friday, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and the director of the office for KiM, Marko Juric, met with 140 representatives of Kosovar Serbs in Belgrade.

"During the meeting, the state leaders and all political representatives of the Serbs of Kosovo and Metohija expressed their determination to reach a compromise solution to the KiM issue peacefully and through a dialogue with the political representatives of the Albanian people. They also reiterated the readiness of Republic of Serbia to protect the Serbian people by any means in case of a coercive threat to its security on the KiM territory," Juric said, as quoted in the statement.

According to the text, the participants also expressed hope that the international peace missions would observe their mandates responsibly in order to prevent "any violent scenarios.

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Formerly a province of Serbia, Kosovo experienced an armed confrontation between Serbian security forces and the Albanian-led Kosovo Liberation Army, seeking the status of a constituent republic for Kosovo in what was then Yugoslavia. The conflict triggered unauthorized NATO airstrikes in the region from March 1999 to June 1999 on the grounds that the Yugoslav authorities were alleged committing ethnic cleansings against Kosovar Albanians.

In February 2017, Kosovo unilaterally proclaimed independence and was subsequently recognized by over 100 UN member states. Serbia, along with Russia, China, Greece, Israel and several other states, do not recognize it.

There are currently four international missions deployed in Kosovo: the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo, NATO-led Kosovo Force, European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo and Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe Mission in Kosovo.