TIRANA, Feb. 27 – In a meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Serbian President Aleksander Vucic said concerning the Kosovo problem “Serbia is ready for a solution, but the solution is in both sides losing something.”
Vucic added Serbia’s road in relation with rule of law chapters and the relations with Prishtina will be “difficult” , but that loving the land of one’s children is more important than loving the lands of one’s ancestors.
According to him, “it may be better if nobody is satisfied,” because there are “many difficult solutions, while for Serbia the only difficult one is that where Serbia is the only loser.”
Vicic met Merkel in Berlin, where they discussed Serbia’s EU accession process.
“Accession negotiations can be successful if reforms develop further in the domain of the rule of law and in the light of the issue of relations with Kosovo. That is why we partly touched on how we can reach a legal framework, a contractual solution for Kosovo,” Merkel said after their meeting.
Nonetheless, Merkel did not give any concrete suggestions for a solution with Kosovo, saying “the President of Serbia is the main actor there.”
Asked whether Germany’s expectations of a solution consist of “Serbia’s recognition of Kosovo” , Merkel said she was not the one who should give advice.
“The initiative starts from Serbia, the president of Serbia is the main actor. We talk about it and we support things when our support is sought. But I will not be dispensing advice, especially not in public,” Merkel said.
Merkel’s comments come right after President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker’s visit in Belgrade as part of his Western Balkan tour this week.
Juncker, referring to the 2025 deadline set in the new WB extension strategy paper recently published by the EU’s executive arm, said the deadline is not a promise, but rather encouragement, and that countries with open issues with neighbors have to reach solutions before EU membership.
His tour will end in Prishtina, which the EU also wants to eventually in its extension strategy under similar conditions of improving relations with Serbia, which hasn’t recognized Kosovo’s independence but has agreed on high-level negotiations to normalize relations.
