Vučić and Zaev reached agreement on five points, no word on Kosovo and wiretapping

The President of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić and the Prime Minister of Macedonia Zoran Zaev spoke today with the aim of calming tensions between Belgrade and Skopje, writes the Patria agency.

After the talks, they issued a joint statement in which they said they had spoken "long and openly" and that they had considered "all newly emerged circumstances".

In the joint statement, Vučić and Zaev stated that they had reached an agreement on five points.

1. The Republic of Serbia and the Republic of Macedonia will exclusively resolve any disagreements in their mutual relations through dialogue.

2. Regardless of all political differences on certain important political and regional issues, Serbia and Macedonia will jointly fight not only to preserve, but also to improve the friendly relations between the Serbian and Macedonian peoples and the citizens of Serbia and Macedonia.

3. The Republic of Serbia and the Republic of Macedonia will make even greater efforts to further improve economic relations and increase trade exchange between the two countries.

4. The Republic of Serbia and the Republic of Macedonia, in accordance with international public law regulations, will protect the rights and interests of diplomatic-consular missions on their territory in good faith and on a friendly basis.

5. The Republic of Serbia and the Republic of Macedonia will intensify mutual communication at the highest level, support each other on their European path, and contribute to the stability of the region by strengthening good neighborly relations.

In the joint statement, Vučić and Zaev did not touch upon the issues that led to the diplomatic crisis between the two countries: Macedonia's support for Kosovo's membership in UNESCO and "offensive intelligence work directed against the institutions and bodies of Serbia".

Aleksandar Vučić said on Tuesday that he had evidence of Macedonia wiretapping Serbian institutions and bodies, which is why Serbia decided to recall all embassy staff in Skopje for urgent consultations in Belgrade.