Albin Kurti (BetaPhoto/Armenija Zajmi Besevic)
Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti has stated that the government of Kosovo aims to reach an agreement with Serbia regarding the normalization of mutual relations, but that the essence of such an accord should be "mutual recognition." Whether or not such an agreement would happen, Kurti said, was mostly up to Serbia since Kosovo is ready.
"Agreements that don't entail mutual recognition at their core are, of course, unacceptable to us and useful to no one," Kurti told the Albanian Klan TV late on Jan. 2, adding that both sides would benefit from reaching a final agreement because "it would speed up the integration of both countries into Europe's family."
"Serbia wants to continue its European path but that won't be possible without recognizing Kosovo. On the other hand, Kosovo desires European and Euro-Atlantic integrations, and for that we need fully normalized relations with Serbia," Kurti explained.
He went on to maintain that Serbia has an ambivalent attitude toward joining the EU. "Serbia is faced with a dilemma, because it has a Free Trade Agreement with Russia, is buying arms from Russia and is a part of the Eurasian Economic Union. Gazprom holds 50 percent of Serbia's oil industry and 51 percent of the largest natural gas basin in Vojvodina -- so [Serbia is] facing a dilemma while we are on a purely European and West European path," Kurti concluded.
To get full access to all content of interest see our
Subscription offer
Or
Register for free
And read up to 5 articles each month.
Already have an account? Please Log in.