Berlin – German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Thursday called on Serbia and Kosovo to “speed up” the normalisation of their relationship, at the opening of a Berlin-hosted summit with West Balkan states.
“Russia’s brutal war of aggression against Ukraine forces us to stand together to preserve Europe’s freedom,” Scholz said at the opening of the conference, saying the invasion had added a “sense of urgency” to talks.
“It is high time to overcome regional conflicts that have continued for far too long,” the chancellor said.
“The normalisation process between Serbia and Kosovo in particular must speed up,” he said. “So let’s get it done.”
Serbia has been a candidate to join the European Union since 2012 but its prospects are seen as bleak while its relationship with Kosovo remains an issue. Belgrade does not accept majority-Albanian Kosovo’s 2008 declaration of independence.
Tensions have been exacerbated by the war in Ukraine, with many Serbs sympathetic to traditional ally Russia.
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Germany and France have been brokering an agreement to resolve the long-running conflict between the two countries, the details of which have been closely guarded.
“After presenting our ideas, we came back from the region with a sense of cautious optimism,” a German government source said ahead of the summit this week.
“There is still work to do… the proposal demands pragmatism and a readiness to compromise from both sides,” the source said.
Berlin has also warned Serbia against cultivating deeper ties with Russia, which could have “consequences” for its bid to join the EU, according to the source.
Thursday’s summit in Berlin will bring together the heads of government of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia as well as EU leaders.
Participants from the Western Balkans are to sign three accords: on mutual recognition of identity documents, university degrees and professional credentials.
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Source: AFP
Picture: Twitter/@OlafScholz
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