After the Brdo-Bryun summit, Pahor: Vucinq not willing to recognise Kosovo

Slovenia's President Barut Pahor said they oppose ideas for changing borders, until it showed that Serbia's president, Aleksandar Vuciq, had proposed to prevent states from knowing Kosovo.

He said Serbia's president is not willing to recognise Kosovo, while for Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani, he said she has come with a very ambitious agenda and was ambitious even during the meeting, insisting on certain issues.

I'm part of the leadership of this procedure now 10 years and the issue of state borders has never been addressed because it would affect the summit itself and its decisions. How appropriate it would be to think about changing borders, I have to say how co-communicators oppose those ideas. Vuciq was not against discussing the ban on changing borders, but he came with such proposals that would prevent the states from knowing Kosovo. Because Croatia and Slovenia have recognised Kosovo, as well as other states have also recognised it, although not all EU states. I've wanted to come up with a result of my proposal, and understood as moving forward, not turning back. But President Vuciq is not willing to recognise Kosovo. It would be endless discussions. We've had several meetings here, and it was the first time President Vuciq and President Osmani met. I met with President Osmani last Thursday in Pristina, and I realized that she came with a very ambitious agenda. And she was ambitious during meetings, insisting on certain issues. We have considered some of her demands, and we have managed to compromise, barely, but we have succeeded. The Brdo-Brijun summit is not to find answers but to provide support to”, he said.

Croatia's President Zoran Milanovic said Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani's agenda was quite ambitious, but who said Serbs were against it.

“We have reached a compromise. I think President Osmani's agenda was quite ambitious and Serbs were against it, but I think the agreement reached is acceptable because we are trying to help countries that are in the integration process. We want to help other countries because this is also in our interest. There are some issues that countries cannot solve on their own in the Belgrade-Brijun process, but today we have been able to return the ship without storm damage to the harbor. I don't know where the next meeting will be held, in Pristina or Belgrade, but soon we will meet somewhere”, he said.

Slovenia's President Borut Pahor said dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia must continue and resolve issues in order to benefit the entire region.

“Yes, of course, I think my colleague president of Croatia just answered that question. We have some new meetings on this summit and finally at the first meeting President Vuciq and President Osmani met, I met President Osmani last week in Pristina and agreed to this agenda, was too ambitious to meet and discuss many of the issues. However, just as we have considered some of the requirements we have to reach a compromise agreement, because sooner or later it wants something to be achieved so that there can be a diplomatic recognition agreement, and just as the Brdo-Brijuni process is not about finding answers to the questions, but we can eventually give support to bring in positions as close as possible to building a neutral belief in EU enlargement. That's what we're trying to do, so that's what we insist on and think that dialogue between Pristina and Belgrade should continue so that, as well as I hope, the media in Pristina and in Belgrade will keep in mind that this should continue and resolve these issues in order to benefit the entire region and the European Union and the Brdo-Brijuni summit is in favour of this process”, he said.

Croatian President Zoran Milanovic said they are here to help neighbours in the region get as close to European integration as possible and not to complicate things.

And what we haven't mentioned in today's statement is that we haven't discussed different non-paper and borders, but we all know where the actual boundaries are. We have tried to address other issues which are existentially important in order for a country to become an EU member, such as order and law, justice, other issues, liberal values are nowhere. Hence, pressure must be put into these issues entirely, so small countries always put pressure on these issues. So we've addressed these issues and that's not a secret thing to address.

Asked about the importance of this meeting of the region's presidents, Slovenia's President Borut Pahor said it is also very important for the fact that Slovenia, after two months, will take over the chairmanship of the EU presidency.

The “for Slovenia is very important, because after two months we will take over the rotating presidency and in this statement there is no sentence that speaks of changing state borders of countries, and that is very important. This document has several other values compared to the documents we have published or statements we have published in recent years. If Slovenia's government is to say whether the European Union policy provides little hope for the countries of the Western Balkans as well because there are some very important messages in the region's geopoliticale and we do not see these procedures as something to pass and to increase EU enlargement all these problems must be overcome. I have a feeling of being a collaborator and one of the leaders of these two countries, like Slovenia and Croatia, because of different movements then many countries in the region want to become part and integrate, that's because with integration the peace is brought, as well as security for the countries of the region and that's a very important message”, he said.