Europe
Western Balkans visit – Serbs and Kosovars want to talk
Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) and the President of the Republic of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic (l), make a joint statement after their meeting in the Federal Chancellery. Photo: Wolfgang Kumm/dpa
© dpa-infocom GmbH
Since Russia’s attack on Ukraine, concerns about the destabilization of the Western Balkans have also increased. One after the other, the heads of government of Kosovo and Serbia visited Chancellor Scholz.
Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vucic has promised a rapprochement with neighboring Kosovo. He would do anything to reach a compromise, Vucic assured on Wednesday evening after a meeting with Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) in Berlin.
In the evening, direct talks between Vucic and the Kosovar Prime Minister Albin Kurti, who was also a guest at the Chancellery a few hours earlier, were to take place in the federal capital.
Scholz emphasized that progress on this issue was of “enormous importance” for the targeted EU membership of both countries. “All open questions must be clarified in this dialogue.” Kosovo, which is predominantly inhabited by Albanians, broke away from Serbia in 1999 and declared its independence in 2008. To date, Serbia has not recognized this and continues to lay claim to the territory.
worries have grown
Since the Russian attack on Ukraine, concerns about destabilization in the Western Balkans have also grown. That is why the federal government is again campaigning more for a focus on Europe. Scholz assured that Serbia’s accession process to the EU was being intensively supported by Germany. To do this, however, the country must consistently continue its reform path – above all in questions of the rule of law, freedom of the media and the fight against organized crime. Accession negotiations have been going on since 2014. Vucic said there was no doubt that the European path was Serbia’s choice.
Although Kosovo has not yet applied for membership, it is also aiming for membership. Kurti emphasized in Berlin that there was no alternative to the EU and NATO for his country. Chancellor Scholz promised his support: “The Western Balkans are part of Europe.”
The Russian attack on Ukraine also played a central role in Scholz’s talks – and differences of opinion also emerged here: Vucic explained that Serbia had a different attitude on the subject of sanctions. He pointed out that his country itself had been the victim of sanctions for a decade. Although Serbia had condemned the invasion of Ukraine in the UN General Assembly, it rejected economic sanctions against Russia.
Moscow is also suspected of fueling unresolved conflicts in the region and thus thwarting possible EU membership for the Balkan countries. In this regard, Kurti lamented factors in the Western Balkans that were directed by the Kremlin. This poses a threat to peace and security. We are concerned but not afraid.