Kosovo PM rejects partition of northern region

(STOCKHOLM) - Kosovo Prime Minister Hashim Thaci on Monday said there would be no partition of his country's northern, Serb-majority region.

"We have excellent relationships with all neighbours. In no case (are we considering) a partition," Thaci told reporters after meeting with Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildtduring his first official visit to Sweden.

"We have a dialogue with Serbia," he added.

The independence of Kosovo in 2008 has been recognised by some 90 countries but Serbia has refused to do so, and encourages the 120,000 Serbs who constitute six percent of the population, and who mostly live in northern Kosovo, to defy the authorities in Pristina.

Kosovo will continue to fight corruption and organised crime, and "looks forward to EU and Nato membership" since the countries "share the same values", Thaci said.

Serbia was granted EU candidate status in March this year, and improved relations with Kosovo is the main condition the country has yet to satisfy in order to get a starting date for its EU accession negotiations.

"Kosovo has made great progress these (last) years but a lot remains (...) Sweden is among those EU countries who most energetically believe in the integration process for all of the countries in the region," Bildt said.

"The normalisation is important. It's important for Kosovo, it's important for Serbia, it's important for Europe," he added.

Thaci will on Tuesday meet with his Swedish counterpart Fredrik Reinfeldt. With him during his visit are Kosovo Foreign Minister Enver Hoxhaj, and the country's European Integration Minister Vlora Citaku.