Borrell: Resolving Kosovo-Serbia relations only through dialogue

As the war in Ukraine continues to worsen day by day, there is growing concern that Russian influence could be further strengthened in the Western Balkans. The EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Vice President of the European Commission Josep Borrell, hopes that in these difficult times, European and not Russian influence will prevail in the region. His statements were made by Albania, his second stop on this tour in the Western Balkans. Earlier, Borrell visited northern Macedonia and after Albania, it is Bosnia and Herzegovina.

DW: Mr. Borrell, why did you decide to visit the Western Balkans right now?

Borrell: It’s the right moment, very right. As you know a war is going on. There is a lot of Russian influence in the Balkans. It is a critical moment for the enlargement process. There is a problem that needs to be resolved between Northern Macedonia and Bulgaria. And we have the prospect of membership amid geopolitical changes in the European landscape.

DW: How likely is it that the war in Ukraine will revive old conflicts in the region?

Borrell: The war in Ukraine will affect everything from the price of food that is a direct consequence of the war to energy prices. Relations with Russia will never be the same as what the Russians are doing with the bombing of cities, the killing of civilians, the oppression of the people of Ukraine. This will strengthen the union in Europe and should be the big impetus to overcome some of the problems we have had, in order to speed up the accession process. But the most important thing at stake today is not only the war between Ukraine and Russia, but respect for international law and human rights, the fight against the jungle law, where the strongest oppress the weakest without any justification, and this is why people who love freedom and love democracy should be involved.

DW: Why is the Western Balkans so important at the moment?

Borrell: It’s not more important than yesterday, or tomorrow. The Western Balkans is important. He has been at the top of the European Union agenda and continues to be there, but there are some events that are catalysts of history, some events that change the relationship between different actors and factors. Russia will try to increase its influence in the Balkans, try to win the souls of the people, try to carry out many disinformation campaigns, try to convince people that it is fighting Nazism, that Zelensky is a war criminal, or that he is committing genocide. against the Russians, as they are declaring. We must oppose this narrative and there is a lot of misinformation in the Western Balkans…

DW: And there is a lot of Russian influence?

Borrell: Lots of Russian influence. I hope that the European influence will be greater.

DW: Hopefully. But when it comes to the Western Balkans, the Kosovo-Serbia relationship cannot be left out. How do you foresee the dialogue between Pristina and Belgrade? Is he moving in the right direction?

Borrell: It’s not going. I am in charge of this dialogue and it is not going well. At least he is not moving at the pace he should. The European Union has a mandate from the United Nations to coordinate, push for and activate this dialogue. I have appointed one of the best diplomats for this task, and I must say that more needs to be done, more work is needed. We need to push both sides in order to understand that there is only one solution to the problem and that it comes through dialogue, knowing that it will not be easy. It is a very complicated issue. You know how difficult and complicated the history of the Balkans has been over the past 20 or 30 years. But the only solution to this problem is dialogue, and I am promoting this, but I am disappointed that we are not moving at the pace required by the problem, because the European perspective of both countries is completely dominated by the result of this dialogue.

DW: Yes, but both sides insist that there are some issues that have not been resolved yet. For example, the Kosovo government has problems implementing the agreement on the inclusion of Serb-majority municipalities, and on the other hand you recently warned Serbia not to deny genocide and not to exalt the figures of war criminals. These are big issues…

Borrell: I do not believe that we can go into the details of the mutual complaints, these agreements, what happened, what we agreed on, what was not fulfilled. Do not make me repeat the dialogue from the many hours I have had with both parties. I know there are some points on which there is disagreement, but that is the purpose of dialogue. How can things be resolved if they do not talk to each other?

DW: Is there a solution for them to talk and find a final solution?

Borrell: I do not know of any solution other than dialogue.

DW: Let’s go back to Albania. In your opinion, has Albania fulfilled the reforms related to European integration?

Borrell: Everyone agrees that Albania has met the technical criteria, this is not something new. The European Commission has stated this and informed the member states, because it is a decision of the Council from the point of view of the Commission, which is in charge of leading the process, we have a Commissioner in charge of enlargement, my counterpart Oliver Varhelyi, Albania has met the criteria.

DW: But will Albania continue to be considered inseparable from Northern Macedonia?

Borrell: At the moment, the Council has decided that it is more appropriate if the two countries move forward together, which we call pairing. The two countries are moving forward together, there is synergy, there are savings in terms of procedures and it is good because the more countries there are, the better it is. But, it is clear that there are problems between Bulgaria and Northern Macedonia and we need to solve these problems. Many people are fully engaged in this endeavor. I personally, but also many others. And I hope, and I am making all my efforts together with many others, like Commissioner Varhelyi, the President of the Commission, the President of the Council, in order to resolve this problem and make it possible for both countries to start negotiations with aimed at resolving this problem and making it possible for both countries to start negotiations before the end of the French presidency.

DW: Will the war in Ukraine slow down or speed up the decision to open negotiations?

Borrell: The war in Ukraine is an alarm bell for Europe. The war shows the need for more unity, the need for the Western Balkans not to be allowed to lag behind in terms of European development. The war in Ukraine shows the need for Europe to be stronger, more united and to accelerate some of the processes that are left behind. So I believe this is a good case, it is a historic moment. And I would like to give a message to all those involved in the process to try to overcome the difficulties, so that both countries can open negotiations before the end of the French presidency.

DW: How do you see the position of the Western Balkan countries regarding the war in Ukraine? For example, the positioning of Serbia?

Borrell: Different countries in the Western Balkans have different relations with Russia. This is a historical and geographical fact, but mainly historical, and it is no secret that Albania is much more in line with the European Union in its foreign policy than Serbia. However, it must be said that Serbia voted against Russia in the UN General Assembly Resolution, as a very important step that leads to the side of the European Union, while talking about human rights, sovereignty of nations and respect for of international law.

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