Former Croatian diplomat: EU Square for Serbia if sė recognises Kosovo

In a conversation on Serbian television N1, Kovak said that without Kosovo recognition, Serbia would not be able to join the EU.

It is logical that the Kosovo and Serbia issue will be resolved, recognise each other, and can go towards normal functioning”.

“If Serbia wants to join the EU and if Kosovo wants, Serbia will not be able to achieve that goal unless it recognises Kosovo as an independent state. If Serbia wants normal co-existence in the neighbourhood, then some things should be adjusted as they are in the EU. If in Bosnia and Herzegovina both Bosniaks and Serbs want to join the EU, thinking will have to change”, former Croatian Ambassador to Germany Miro Kovac stressed.

Charles Kupchan of the American Council on Foreign Relations said the same thing today.

He said with conviction that in the end, Serbia will recognise Kosovo's independence and sovereignty in exchange for membership in the European Union.

Serbia will eventually recognise Kosovo's independence and sovereignty and one of the key elements of this effort will be its integration into the European Union. However, it remains to be seen how and when that goal will be reached. I believe formal recognition should be a prerequisite. This is the leverage the European Union has in relations with Serbia: full membership in exchange for recognising Kosovo”, he told REL.