Russia will never forget that Kosovo is Serbia, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova commented on a remark by US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Gabriel Escobar in an interview TV channel N1 August 26 that “it’s time to move away from the assertion that Kosovo is Serbia.”
“Never,” Zakharova wrote in capital letters on Telegram.
An American diplomat, in an interview with a Serbian television channel, said that the Western Balkans could become an economic driving force for all of Europe. And he is optimistic about Belgrade and Pristina’s ability to find a peaceful solution.
“I think we should move away from saying that Kosovo is Serbia and move on to saying that Kosovo and Serbia are Europe. You have a common future, and that future is rapidly moving away from the problems of the 1990s and into the possibilities of the 21st century,” Escobar said.
In his opinion, the 21st century will be a time of economic opportunities for the region. The Western Balkans will become a growth driver for the entire European continent, including in energy production, information technology, shipping and others.
“The reality is that ultimately you will be bound by regional economic relations,” he added.
Escobar said that his visit to Pristina and Belgrade is connected with the fears of the international community of a possible aggravation of the situation in the region due to the measures introduced by the Prime Minister of Kosovo Albin Kurti.
“My impression is that all parties are committed to finding peaceful solutions. The message I bring back to Washington is that I am optimistic about the parties’ efforts to find a solution. As long as we have a solution that is both peaceful, feasible and stable, while not complicating the lives of the people living in Kosovo, especially in the north, I think we will be fine,” Escobar concluded.
On August 22, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, at a meeting with Serbian Interior Minister Alexander Vulin, said that Russia was in favor of resolving the situation around the unrecognized Kosovo only taking into account the interests of Serbia. The ministers also noted the close coordination of actions to strengthen stability and security in the Balkan region.
On August 18, it was reported that Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić and the Prime Minister of the partially recognized Kosovo, Albin Kurti, failed to reach an agreement on resolving the situation during a round of dialogue in Brussels.
The situation in the region escalated at the end of July on the border between Serbia and Kosovo, after the Kosovo-Albanian authorities demanded that Serbs living in the northern part of Kosovo and Metohija re-register Serbian license plates on cars and documents.
After midnight on August 1, it became known that Kosovo postponed the procedure for imposing a ban on Serbian documents until September 1
On August 17, Vučić said that Belgrade has no plans to conduct a military operation in Kosovo. He emphasized that a rational approach and dialogue is needed, “and not someone’s desire to find a solution in which someone could blackmail Serbia.”
In 2008, the Kosovo Albanian structures in Pristina declared independence from Serbia. According to the Serbian constitution, the territory of the unrecognized state is an autonomous province of Kosovo and Metohija within the country. The Republic of Kosovo is not recognized by dozens of countries, including Russia.
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