Serbia’s Ambassador to Russia Miroslav Lazanski said on Tuesday that US diplomat Matthew Palmer should not have agreed to be special envoy for the Western Balkans.

“If he had studied history a little he should not have accepted. All envoys either died or were dismissed, from Richard Holbrooke to Hoyt Lee. I don’t know of any envoy to the Western Balkans who succeeded. This is something that every smart American politician should avoid,” he told the N1 morning show.

“The Kosovo problem can only be solved by us – Belgrade and Pristina,” Lazanski, a former military affairs commentator, said. He said the situation is not simple, adding that Belgrade is trying to get what it can. “The situation is not simple and easy. The Kosovo problem has been there since King Aleksandar (of Yugoslavia) and no one has managed to solve it. We are trying to see what we can get,” he said.

Lazanski said that Washington could have pressured Kosovo into revoking the 100 percent tariffs on Serbian goods but are using them to exert pressure on Serbia. “You’re good with the Russians. End your rleations with Moscow and we’ll convince Pristina to revoke the tariffs. That’s the offer,” he said.