- Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has indicated that he may accept the latest Franco-German plan to normalize relations with Kosovo.
- Western negotiators had given him the choice of accepting the plan or bearing the consequences of breaking off the EU accession negotiations.
- This would have meant withdrawing foreign investments, Vucic said in a press conference on Tuesday night, which was broadcast live on television.
“If the choice is that we get sanctions – and what would be a worse sanction than the withdrawal of investments – or that on the other hand we accept everything and immediately what Kosovo’s UN membership means, then I’m for it Compromise path, no matter how controversial it may be,” explained Vucic.
Kosovo, which has been independent since 2008, is now almost exclusively inhabited by Albanians. Serbia does not recognize the statehood of its former province and claims the territory of Kosovo for itself.
No formal recognition, but an acceptance
The Franco-German plan, which became known last autumn, envisages, among other things, that Serbia and Kosovo will not formally recognize each other, but will mutually accept their state existence within the current borders.
In particular, Serbia would stop blocking Kosovo’s membership of international organizations with the active assistance of Russia. “There is no question that we are in favor of Kosovo joining the UN, but we would de facto accept its membership,” Vucic continued.
But nothing has been decided yet, he added. In the end, the Serbian parliament and “maybe the people” would have to decide.