First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia Ivica Dacic stated today that he expected many states to continue the process of backtracking on recognition of the unilaterally declared independence of Kosovo and Metohija.

In the margins of the Francophonie Ministerial Conference in Paris, Minister Dacic talked to representatives of countries which have not recognized the unilaterally declared independence of Kosovo and Metohija and with those who are staunch in this position, but also with representatives of other countries ready to have a rethink.

"I talked to Ministers coming from a number of countries that have not recognized the UDI of Kosovo and Metohija and they gave me assurances that they would stick to their position. I also talked to Ministers of those states that were re-examining their positions relating to the decisions made by their administrations which had previously recognized the so-called Kosovo, but we will hold back these pieces of information, in order to prevent the other side from working in the opposite direction.

Particularly in the wake of developments in Catalonia, which is following in the footsteps of the so-called "Kosovo", i.e. in the footsteps of unilateral acts, many have now realized that the so-called Kosovo cannot be a sui generis, i.e. one of a kind, but that it is becoming a precedent that everyone is invoking right now, which might threaten the territorial integrity of countries world-wide", Minister Dacic said, adding that he would resume the contacts related to the topic in the months to come.

The Minister underlined that the International Organization of La Francophonie was very important for Serbia, since its meetings provided an opportunity for bilateral talks and solidification of Serbia's international foreign policy position.

"In this sense, I used this Ministerial meeting as an opportunity to talk to my fellow Ministers about the topics important for us, the most significant among them certainly being the subject of the so-called Kosovo", the Minister said.

In 2018, the Summit of La Francophonie will take place in Armenia, and Serbia's full membership of the Organization is expected to be discussed on the occasion.