Croatian President: Exchange of Territories between Belgrade and Pristina Would Open Pandora’s Box in Ex-Yu Region

(Beta/UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe)

In a meeting with U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres, focusing on the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Belgrade-Pristina relations, Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic said the exchange of territories between Belgrade and Pristina would be a bad idea which would open Pandora’s box in the region of the former Yugoslavia.

According to a release published on Grabar-Kitarovic’s website, the collocutors exchanged opinions on the situation in South East Europe (SEE) and Croatia taking over the presidency of the Council of the EU in the first half of 2020.

The meeting, the release said, focused around the developments in SEE, particularly in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Belgrade-Pristina relations, and on how Croatia “as the leader in SEE could contribute to further stabilization of the situation and resolution of the open issues.”

Guterres was particularly interested in the activities Croatia would take during its presidency over the Council of the EU and how it intended to exploit the mandate to its own and the benefit of the countries in the region.  

“I mentioned the exchange of territories, saying it would be a very bad idea that would open Pandora’s box and consequently trigger various demands for territorial changes in the entire region of the former Yugoslavia,” the Croatian president said, according to the release.