Yahoo TV

Political normalisation with Kosovo, which declared independence from Serbia in 2008 nearly a decade after it was protected by NATO in a bombing campaign, is a pre-condition for Serbia's entry into the EU.

Serbia and Kosovo agreed to take steps towards economic cooperation, including working on joint infrastructure projects, in agreements signed at the White House this month, which U.S. President Donald Trump called a "breakthrough".

In his first interview with a Western news organisation since his trip to Washington, on Tuesday (September 22) Vucic described the agreements as a big step in the right direction, but a long way from political normalisation.

Vucic, a former ultra-nationalist who pivoted towards a pro-European stance in 2008, is determined to bring his country into the EU, which requires some form of accommodation with Kosovo.

During the Washington visit both Kosovo and Serbia also agreed to move their embassies in Israel to Jerusalem, a Trump administration priority.

Vucic said Serbia's chamber of commerce would open in Jerusalem first, with the embassy move to follow.

Serbia and its ally Russia reject Kosovo's declaration of independence. EU-mediated normalisation negotiations broke down in 2018 but resumed in July after Kosovo lifted import tariffs on Serbian goods.

More recently, Vucic risked friction with the Kremlin by steering clear of joint military exercises in Belarus, refusing to be drawn into a show of support for embattled leader Alexander Lukashenko, a Russian ally.