The tariffs Kosovo introduced to Serbian goods could stay in force forever unless Belgrade recognises Kosovo's independence, Kosovo Prime Minister Ramush Hardinaj said on Saturday.

“We're ready whenever Serbia is,” Haradinaj said in Lipljan, in Central Kosovo, just South of the capital Pristina.

He noted that Pristina was the one who accepted the “position which is less than that of an independent state” in talks on the normalisation of relations between Kosovo and Serbia, and by doing so, made it impossible to be recognised as an independent state.

The Prime Minister added Pristina was the one that sat behind that table as a weak and non-equal party.

“We made it difficult for international factors to defend us,” Haradinaj said and added that the name of the dialogue is “Mutual recognition within the existing borders.”

In November 2018, Pristina authorities introduced protective measures on all products coming from Serbia and Bosnia.

Tariffs were raised from 10 to 100 percent in less than a month after their introduction, and despite calls from the international community and warnings from the US, Kosovo remained adamant to hold the tariffs in place until both Serbia and Bosnia recognise its independence.