Borrell: EU prefers current state of Kosovo border

European Union for Foreign Policy and Security representative Josep Borrell, in a conversation with several European countries journalists, also spoke Friday about dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia.

Borrell said the EU is ready for continued dialogue, but that clarification of the political situation in Kosovo should be expected.

We are not in the race with the United States about dialogue. It's just a dialogue, and that's the dialogue the EU has started. If the United States wants to help, that's good, to give us a helping hand”.

“We do not act for propagandistic purposes, but we do serious work to resume dialogue, which is blocked”, Borrell said.

Kosovo, since March 25th, has been in office with government, while this week the country's Constitutional Court has given support to President Hashim Thaci's decree to mandate a new prime minister without going to the polls.

Responding to questions about ideas on changing borders, more precisely for the exchange of territories between Kosovo and Serbia, Borrell expressed a change of position compared to what he said earlier when he did not rule out this possibility.

He said such ideas have no support and that the EU would prefer to maintain the current border situation.

“First, it must be said that the agreement should be between Serbs and Kosovars. If they disagree, nothing. But it has already been said that the agreement must be accepted by the international community. They [Kosovo and Serbia] do not have free hands to decide whatever they want, because there may also be collateral consequences in the region. It is well known how sensitive it is to change” borders.

Clearly, we in the EU would prefer to preserve the status quo in terms of borders. And some member states oppose any movement in this regard.

If you start to change boundaries in one place, then others can say they want the same thing. So the best thing to do is preserve the status quo and see how negotiations go. Clearly, we in the EU would prefer to preserve the status quo in terms of borders. Also, some member states oppose any movement in this direction”, Borrell said.

The idea of changing borders as opportunities for normalising relations between Kosovo and Serbia has been spread by the presidents of both countries in 2018, but it has faced reactions both in Pristina and Belgrade and in the international community.

Borrell was also asked for the EU's special envoy for the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, Miroslav Lajcak, who is from Slovakia state that has not recognised Kosovo's independence.

He gave the same argument as before, saying that if the special envoy were from some country that has recognised Kosovo, then Serbia would be unhappy.

Borrell said these criticisms should be halted and that serious work must be worked because, according to him, it is about diplomas representing the European Union.

Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, which has started since 2011 with EU mediation, has been interrupted since the end of 2018, due to a tax Kosovo Government imposed on products imported from Serbia.

Special representatives in the dialogue now have the United States: diplomat Richard Green.