Merkel raises pressure on Vuciq on Kosovo issue

“Berlini will continue the pressure on Belgrade on the Kosovo issue, and it is possible that Merkel will recall some unfulfilled promises. On the other hand, the impression is that Vuciq is not willing to make new concessions” is called “danas” in his conversationators.

Franz-Lotar Altam, professor of international relations at the University of Bucharest, was quoted as saying “Danasis” that “does not expect Mrs. Merkel to say anything new about Vuciqi, but would again say that Germany would not support Serbia's EU membership if, at the end of negotiations between Belgrade and Pristina, no sustainable agreement on Kosovo status has been reached”.

“This means that Merkel will encourage Vuciqi to seriously continue Brussels' negotiations and that it will order representatives of power in Belgrade not to behave in ways that would jeopardise the process of normalising Belgrade and Pristina relations. She will surely mention the summit for the Balkans, which is held in Sofia in which Pristina should be accepted with full capacity of”, Altman thinks.

According to Dusan Janjiqi, chairman of the Forum for Ethnic Relations, the meeting will be very useful, primarily for Vuciq, but also for Serbia:

“This is a critical moment as the situation differs relatively much from last July, when Vuciq launched the initiative for domestic dialogue for Kosovo. Belgrade has left the concept of full normalisation of relations with Pristina, which some also call a model of two Germanys that Berlin insists on. The recent statements by Serbian officials, including those of the Dacciq and President Vuciq's diplomacy key, testify there is great disagreement in relation to Berlin policy. The next topic will be security, since for the first time after two decenynes has been mentioned the possibility of war in Kosovo that Germany is unacceptable”.