Even with Serbia, problems are expected during border demarcation

After Macedonia and Montenegro, Kosovo in the future is expected to mark the border with Serbia.

Edita Tahiri, former Kosovo chief negotiator for dialogue with Serbia, told Radio Kosovo that just as there has been complexity in marking the border lines with Macedonia and Montenegro, so it is expected to happen with Serbia.

Despite that Tahiri says marking the border line with Serbia is a state and international duty.

“Of course that even with Serbia will be a complex challenge, but it is a state and international obligation, that when the time comes we expect this issue to be in the final phase of the dialogue, so along with mutual recognition and demarcation between Kosovo and Serbia to be realised”, she said.

Tahiri says Serbia should give up the demand for any particular status for the northern part, as scenarios for territories are of Milosevic's time and other nationalists, but that harm Serbia themselves.

However, it is good that these Serbian illusions have no basis for fulfillment. Kosovo will be a UN member, NATO and the EU and Serbia if it wants to become an EU member must recognise the Republic of Kosovo and should be a constructive state in the Balkans, rather than seek to open up topics that will be at risk for the region and could reverse the Balkan wars. So, whatever initiative affects borders, it should be accounted for new conflicts in the Balkans”, she said.

And international Negotiation and diplomacy professor at the University of Paris, Valon Murtezaj, does not view this as problematic because borders exist and are the criteria for the breakup of the former Yugoslavia. He said that at the moment the main barrier Serbia establishes, which considers the border with Kosovo as the administrative border, there will be no problem.

Well, the first steps are done with the integrated border management agreement, and that means those things are done between two countries. But even that day will come, and I am very confident that it won't be problematic, because the moment the terrain opens it will be prepared. Therefore, it is far more important to be done with Montenegro”, he said.

But the most skeptical in this process is presented as political connoisseur Belul Beqaj. He told Radio Kosovo that based on the practice so far, where the national consensus on national interests topics such as demarcation with Montenegro has been lacking when definition with Serbia is questioned.

X-ray is very simple. We are not understated that demarcation should not be linked to political motives, meanwhile the demarcation, as in Montenegro's case, according to all likelihood, will also be with Serbia. Someone wants to use it to stay in power and someone wants through the demarcation to come to power”, he said.

Beqaj says that a dialogue is needed for real solutions:

“Experience is showing that the result without dialogue, such as the one with Montenegro, is not leading anywhere. Definitely the demarcation will be resolved even with Serbia properly only, and only when the political motives of political parties that are or claim to come to power” are gone, he said.

According to Beqaj, politicians should be based on the records of field professionals when definition is at stake. Unlike marking the border line with Serbia, Kosovo will complete a duty of state-building.