German MP: Change of Borders Leads to War

On the eve of today's summit in Berlin, German MP Peter Beyer, in the quality of Kosovo rapporteur for CDU/ The CSU has expressed itself in an interview with DW in Serbian, that it hopes and wants today's meeting in the Chancellor's office to help solve the Kosovo conflict as soon as possible.

“We hope and want it in the best interests of all Western Balkan states and, in the best interests of Europe”, Beyer said.

Beyer also wants the idea of exchanging territories to be dismissed, between Serbia and Kosovo. ” Even though the idea of exchange of territories may have fallen into silence, I warn that this calm could be deceptive”, Beyer said.

“A exchange of monoethnic motives could cause a chain reaction, so this proposal should also be rejected without equivocational from all sides”, Beyer demanded, adding that “changing the border could bring about a new armed conflict”.

Correct or trade?

Meanwhile, on the eve of the Berlin meeting, which begins this afternoon (17:30), Kosovo President Hashim Thaci, in an interview with the news agency, dpa, rejected the idea of exchanging territories but promoted what he calls “border correction”, meaning “including the southern Serbian Albanian provinces in the territory of Kosovo”.

Thaci told the dpa how the reward for that would open Serbia's way towards Europe. But even the idea of shifting the border would bring destabilisation to the Balkans, MP Josip Juratovic thinks.

A shift of the border between Kosovo and Serbia would lead to the destabilisation of the entire region, however, given Bosnia and Herzegovina and Macedonia”, the Social Democrat Party parliamentary group rapporteur in Bundestag told DW Albanian.

Juratovic said it would be a “capitalisation ahead of democratic values, including a state of equal rights citizens and not guided according to ethnic criteria”.

Juratovic also said that changing territories conflicts with the constitution and would question the multiethnic identity of Kosovo and Serbia.

Document where the results will be summed up

At the summit starting works this evening at German Chancellor Angela Merkel's office, French President Emmanuel Macron and leaders of Western Balkan governments Slovenia and Croatia attend.

In addition, three presidents -- Kosovo's Hashim Thaci, Serbia's Alexander Vucic and Montenegro's Milo Djukanovic -- have been invited.

As Deutsche Welles confirmed diplomats in Berlin, Germany and France thus try to demonstrate unanimousness regarding the Western Balkans and show that the Balkans must remain in the responsibility of the states of Europe.

However, diplomats are aware that the EU is currently unable to resolve conflicts in the Balkans, where the conflict between Serbia and Kosovo is considered the key.

Although Moghrin, the chairman of the stalled negotiations between Serbia and Kosovo, will be present at the meeting, a concrete agreement on normalising relations between Serbia and Kosovo cannot be expected from the meeting.

Even German government deputy spokeswoman Ulrike Demmer said on Friday, April 26, 2019, in Berlin that the meeting is aimed at exchanging thoughts and having informal characters. Although there is expected to be a document outlining its final results, which will be signed by all participants.

Ticket meetings with Merkel with Zaev and Rama.

Although the European perspective is seen as the main engine of these countries' readiness for compromise and reform, enlargement will not be a topic of conversation. Diplomatic lines reconfirm the DW that France does not want to mention the issue of EU enlargement on the eve of the European Parliament elections, to be held at the end of May. Chancellor Angela Merkel wants to give a signal to the two countries awaiting the start of negotiations, such as Northern Macedonia and Albania.

It will thus meet at bilateral meetings with Northern Macedonia Prime Minister Zoran Zaev, (1600) and Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama (16:30). The topic here will be the opening of EU membership negotiations. Merkel wants to stress thus the importance Germany gives these two countries and their EU perspective.