ASHAK: Serbia’s destabilizing policies have become more aggressive

“Stagnation in reforms and democratization, successive political crises, corruption and organized crime, in which Balkan societies are involved, have created a conducive environment for the unimpeded penetration of political influences funded by influential powers in the region, such as Russia and China, “said the Academy of Sciences in a statement issued on February 14.

KASA said that the current situation in the Western Balkans, including Kosovo, should encourage the West to formulate a strategy “clearer towards Serbia, towards its destabilizing goals and its alliances with Russia and China.”

Serbia has close relations with Russia and China. From Russia, Belgrade buys weapons and enjoys Moscow’s political support, especially for Kosovo. Also, Belgrade shares its foreign policy with Beijing, but with China it is more united by economic projects, especially those within the Chinese initiative “Belt and Road”.

The academy also said that Serbia has managed to instrumentalize Serb communities in Bosnia, Montenegro and Kosovo.

“In Kosovo, Serbia is the catalyst of all political crises, even the internal and external political framework, which currently dictates the profiles of the country’s political spectrum,” said ASHAK.

In Bosnia, through the Republika Srpska entity, Serbs are threatening secession from the central government. In Montenegro, the Serbian Orthodox Church is considered to have the power to interfere in state policies. Meanwhile, in Kosovo, the Serb community, especially in the four municipalities in northern Kosovo, refuses to be fully integrated into the legal and constitutional system of Kosovo.
KASA supports US involvement in dialogue

Regarding the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia, mediated by the European Union, KASA said that this process was not fruitful, because as he said, Serbia refuses to make any concessions for Kosovo, “refusing to go one step further. “rather than UN Resolution 1244,” said the Academy.

“The Kosovo Academy of Sciences and Arts strongly supports the US involvement in the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, especially the position recently expressed by the special envoy, Gabriel Escobar, who reaffirmed that the US gives unwavering support to sovereignty. and the territorial integrity of Kosovo “, it was said in the statement.

Recently, the EU and the United States have stepped up calls to Kosovo and Serbia to return to dialogue, as the parties have not held a summit since July last year.

KASA has denounced the “European Union pressure” on Kosovo regarding the establishment of the Association of Serb-majority municipalities.

“This is an inadequate approach of EU structures, as it is known that such an association would make Kosovo a dysfunctional state and would create a ‘constitutional space’ for the territorial autonomy of Serb municipalities in Kosovo, including its division. “, Said KASA as he recalled that the Constitutional Court of Kosovo had assessed that some points of the association agreement were not in accordance with the highest legal act of the state.

ASHAK also mentioned Russia’s pressure on Brussels regarding the dialogue and recalled a parallel that Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has made with the association agreement and that of Minsk, for the two regions in eastern Ukraine, where Kiev is fighting with Russian-backed separatists.

The Government of Kosovo has said that it does not want a mono-ethnic association, while Serbia insists that the Association have executive powers.

Declarations of national unity, “in favor of Serbia”

The Kosovo Academy of Sciences and Arts has also criticized the “Open Balkans” regional initiative, saying that Serbia is using such initiatives to destabilize the region and strike at the EU and NATO.

For the “Open Balkans” the academy said that it undermines the “Berlin Process”, because “it makes the political isolation of Kosovo and that there will be far-reaching consequences for future relations between the countries of the Western Balkans.”

The academy also denounced the rhetoric in Albania and Kosovo for national unity, as it said that such statements go in favor of Serbian politics.

“The nationalist rhetoric of the Albanian political leader for national unity, for the removal of the border with Kosovo, etc., which are allegedly included in the ‘Open Balkans’ project, as well as the politically dilettante discussion in Kosovo for national unity, go in favor of Serbia’s policy. considering ‘Greater Serbia’ as a logical consequence and political counterweight to ‘Greater Albania’ and placing the mark of equality between Kosovo and Republika Srpska, despite the fact that these are two completely separate political and historical realities “.

The “Open Balkans” initiative was initiated in 2019 by Albania, Serbia and Northern Macedonia. This initiative is a continuation of the “Balkan Mini-Schengen” initiative.

Kosovo has opposed becoming part of the “Open Balkans” initiative, considering it without vision and dangerous./REL/

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