Enver Hoxhaj told the Zagreb Vecernji List daily he had never advocated for the creation of a pact against Serbia, adding that both the headline of the article that echoed through the region and what he had said were two different things.

Earlier, Kosovo’s Deputy Prime Minister told the daily in an interview that he had discussed an idea of forming a pact which would oppose Serbia and “its aggressive politics” toward Kosovo, which he said destabilises of the region, with the leaders of Croatia, Macedonia and Montenegro as he visited those countries.

Montenegro’s Foreign Ministry denied any such talks and Macedonia’s Prime Minister Zoran Zaev also said he had never talked to anyone about any pact against Serbia.

Hoxhaj’s statements also csparked reactions from both Bosnia and Serbia.

“Kosovo Deputy Prime Minister should not worry about Bosnia and its entity Republika Srpska (RS) but should commit to the dialogue with Belgrade, Bosnian Foreign Minister Igor Crnadak told Serbia's media.

Marko Djuric, head of Serbia’s Government Office for Kosovo, said Hoxhaj’s words should be taken seriously, because the pact he talks about means “a pact against peace” and regional stability.

Hoxhaj added that everything else he said about Serbia’s interference into Kosovo’s internal affairs aiming at undermining Pristina's independence, and Belgrade’s tampering with domestic politics in Montenegro and Macedonia, was correct.

“I never said anything about the creation of a regional pact against Serbia,” Hoxhaj told Montenegro’s Antena M television, adding the regional cooperation should stabilise the Balkans and balance Serbia.

“However, my comments about Serbia’s aggressive politics against its neighbours and suggestion to the Western partners that they should use their influence on Belgrade, which is an extended hand of Russia, are my well-known stances, which I have reiterated throguhout the last decade,” Hoxhaj added.