TIRANA, Sept. 4 – German Minister for Europe Michael Roth said on Monday that changing the border between Kosovo and Serbia will not solve any problems, while it may fuel ethnic tensions
Through a tweet, he echoed Germany’s opposing stand to border correction ideas as a way to normalize relations between Kosovo and Serbia.
“Dear friends in Kosovo and Serbia, the resetting of the borders will not solve any problems. Such a move would open the Pandora’s box of ethnic hostilities, and the future of the Western Balkans is simply multi-ethnic, multi-religious and multicultural,” Roth wrote.
On Friday, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said talks on territorial exchange are wrong, while German Chancellor Angela Merkel earlier warned of the consequences of a change of borders for the region.
Even a part of the ministers of EU countries have voiced their opposition to such ideas, while supporting the continuation of EU mediated talks between Kosovo and Serbia.
Mogherini: agreement opportunity between Kosovo and Serbia
EU Foreign Policy chief Federica Mogherini said on Monday there is a possibility for Kosovo and Serbia to reach an agreement for normalizing relations between them until next year, when elections within the EU are held as well.
“I think there is a chance that Presidents Vucic and Thaci will reach a comprehensive, binding and legal agreement for the normalization of relations that will be in accordance with international law and will help stabilize the whole region,” Mogherini said during her speech at the EU ambassadors conference, adding that next year marks 20 years since the Kosovo war and that it is time to put an end to this conflict.
The 1999 war concluded when NATO intervened to give an end to the atrocities of Serbian forces in Kosovo. Nine years after the war, Kosovo declared its independence with the support of the United States and the main countries of the European Union. Serbia continues to oppose its independence.
Both countries are going through internal discussions about the “border correction” idea of their presidents, seeking public support for the possibility of reaching this agreement.
Opinions are divided within the international community between those who would accept the deal and those warning that border corrections would rekindle old hostilities in the Balkans.
