Talha Ozturk
10 June 2022•Update: 10 June 2022
BELGRADE, Serbia
Dialogue with Serbia is essential for Kosovo’s path to the European Union, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Friday, urging the two countries to find a lasting political solution.
Facilitated by the EU, talks on normalization between Kosovo and Serbia started in 2011, but the process has faltered amid escalating tensions in recent years.
“Kosovo and Serbia should work toward a political solution through a comprehensive agreement. Dialogue opens a path to Europe for Kosovo,” Scholz said at a news conference after meeting Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti in the capital Pristina.
A political agreement is also important from the perspective of Kosovo’s youth, he added.
Kosovo, predominantly inhabited by Albanians, broke away from Serbia in 1999 and declared independence in 2008.
Serbia has not recognized its independence and continues to claim the territory, while Kosovo has confirmed that it intends to achieve full EU membership.
“Any agreement should resolve the Kosovo issue, because it is inconceivable that two countries that do not recognize each other become part of the EU,” Scholz emphasized.
Kurti thanked Scholz for Germany’s continued support and what he called its “exceptional role in the reconstruction of Kosovo.”
“I assured Chancellor Scholz that Kosovo is and will remain a reliable partner of Germany,” he added.
