Abazovic: Serbia must set point for Kosovo membership in KiE, look to future

Former Montenegrin Prime Minister Dritan Abazovic has said that countries in the region should try to negotiate, since, as he put it, all other resources have been spent and without results.

He has said Serbia should accept opposing positions regarding Kosovo's membership in the Council of Europe, and point to that “process to look ahead to” towards the European future.

Abazovic says that everywhere in the region there are destructive structures, both in Serbia and Montenegro, Albania, BiH, which want to keep the Western Balkans at “cafaz of ninety-11x1>.

I don't consider political friends, but at the human level, of course they can have very good communication, but I think we need a policy that would imply a broader agreement in the region”, Abazovic stressed for RTS, broadcast Clancosova.tv.

Montenegro's former prime minister says he holds to the theme that the agreement is the only way to progress, assessing that his policy is “learned in the region”.

Maybe it's a hope, maybe it's a small window someone else will use, but for the better. But of course I think our voice and our authentic policy has spread or heard in the region as well. We've tried everything in the past, we just haven't tried the deal. We've tried war, we've tried hostility, we've tried conflicts, we've experienced cold relationships, we've tried fiery arrows between each other. We haven't tried the deal. I think we should finally give the deal a chance and try that deal. Let's say we try to do this for at least one period, because the rest of what we've done so far has not had any greater effect”, Abazovic said.

Commenting on Kosovo's application for admission to the Council of Europe, Abazoviqi said the “voting against Kosovo's membership to the Council of Europe would not be possible under his mandate”. Asked what gesture this is to Serbia, Abazovic says he understands everything, but his message to the citizens of Serbia is to look forward.

“because some things cannot be changed at this moment”, Abazovic adds.

It also says that even if the three Montenegrin members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe voted against Kosovo's accession, nothing would change.

And now we'll talk about the Council of Europe again, we'll talk about some other resolutions and so on. Until we end some things, we will continue to repeat this in five and ten years. My goal, this is not disrespectful, this is respect, this is the most friendly and brotherly advice, is to put an end to these issues and move on to”, Abazovic said.

Asked whether there have been reactions from Belgrade for his statement, he says they have failed to reach him.

And what I said, I declared because I'm politically consistent. I believe, I think politics, like any other profession, should be done with honor, honesty and clear intentions. Montenegro's stance has been so far, and I think the same will be in the future, that we simply follow EU policy when it comes to major foreign policy issues, including the attitude towards Kosovo that Montenegro has recognised. And in that context, I don't know why we'd be constantly having tensions”, Abazovic said.

He concluded that Serbia and Montenegro should find a minimum of common things that unite and promote them, as well as mutually respect each other's views, even if they are different.