Konjufca: Pristina Seeks Start of EU Accession Talks, Mutual Recognition with Belgrade

Glauk Konjufca (BETAPHOTO/ Armenija Zajmi Besevic)

Kosovo Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Diaspora Glauk Konjufca said in Brussels on May 11 that Pristina sought equal and fair treatment by the European Union, stressing that it was ready to advance within a merit-based process.

Koha.net quoted Konjufca as saying to reporters ahead of a meeting of EU foreign ministers with their Western Balkan counterparts that such a process would entail Kosovo getting candidate EU member status and opening EU membership negotiations.

"We want to have an equal and fair treatment by European Union," Konjufca said, adding that "we are ready as [Kosovo] to move and advance within this framework of merit-based process." He went on to explain that the "merit-based process" would mean Kosovo gaining "the status of candidate country" and starting "negotiations for accession with the European Union," adding that the first step would be getting the EU Questionnaire.

"But what is undermining actually the architecture of security of the Western Balkans but also of entire Europe is Russian malign influence in our region. And that's why I think that a united and enlarged European Union is to be seen always from the perspective of strategic necessity," he added, stating that when it came to dialogue with Belgrade, Pristina had always been and always would be constructive, but that the dialogue should end with mutual recognition.