Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Monday in Belgrade that Greece’s attitude towards Kosovo remains unchanged, while the best way to ensure stability in the region is the normalization of Kosovo-Serbia relations, with the mediation of the European Union.
He made these comments after meeting with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, with whom he discussed cooperation in the energy sector between Belgrade and Athens.
Greece is one of the five member countries of the European Union that does not recognize Kosovo’s independence, but has accepted its passports early and has allowed the opening of a Kosovo commercial office in Athens.
“Our position regarding Kosovo remains unchanged and we continue to believe that the best way to normalize relations between both parties is through mediation and European dialogue, which would contribute greatly to the stability of the region, a goal that we we all aim for it. We have closely observed and followed the developments of the last months and Mr. Vucic is looking for stability,” the Greek prime minister said, according to an official translation.
He expressed his support for Serbia’s membership in the European Union, stressing that the integration of the Western Balkans is a strategic goal of the bloc.
The Serbian president said that his country is determined to continue and accelerate the European path and expects clear signs from the European Union for its support in this path.
But while professing such an intention, Serbia maintains close ties with Russia and has refused to join Western sanctions against Moscow over its aggression in Ukraine.
The integration of Serbia and Kosovo into the European Union is conditioned by the normalization of relations between them. A year ago, the parties agreed on an agreement that does not foresee mutual recognition, but requires good neighborly relations, recognition of documents and symbols and respect for each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. It requires that the parties do not hinder each other in the integration processes and the fulfillment of all the agreements previously reached in the talks mediated by the European Union.
The agreement was welcomed by Western diplomacy and there was a degree of optimism that its implementation will begin immediately. However, this did not happen and the parties went through periods of high tensions.
Last fall, the European Union asked Kosovo to establish the Association of municipalities with a Serbian majority, which means more autonomy for this community, while Serbia fulfills the parts of the agreement that lead to the ‘de facto’ recognition of Kosovo.
In December, Serbia, through a document, said that it will not implement anything that leads to the recognition of Kosovo, while Pristina has not yet started work on the association.
The European Union repeated several times that the agreement reached on February 27 in Brussels and on March 18 in Ohrid is legally binding for the parties.
