Kosovo Foreign Minister Visits Serbia as Tensions Ease
Kosovo's foreign minister made a landmark visit to Serbia on Thursday, the first since the former Serbian province unilaterally declared independence in 2008 to the fury of Belgrade.
The presence of Enver Hoxhaj and his Albanian counterpart Ditmir Bushati in the Serbian capital was seen as a sign that a recent flare-up of tensions between Serbs and ethnic Albanians is calming.
Hoxhaj told reporters his visit was "a very important political move which should be seen as the first, historic visit of a Kosovo foreign minister to Serbia".
The visits of the two ministers, to attend a regional conference organised by the European Union, came after violence marred a football match between Serbia and Albania last week.
The Euro 2016 qualifier in Belgrade had to be abandoned after a drone carried a flag calling for the creation of a "Greater Albania" over the stadium, sparking fighting on and off the pitch.
The violence was followed by other incidents between Serbs and ethnic Albanians in the region.
The tensions led to the postponement of a landmark visit by Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama to Serbia, which would be the first by an Albanian leader for nearly 70 years.
The visit has been rescheduled for November.
But Hoxhaj said of his own visit Thursday that "something that was still unthinkable in 2011 is happening today, showing to which point our relations have improved".
Kosovo, populated mostly by ethnic Albanians, has unilaterally declared independence despite opposition from Belgrade.
More than 100 countries, including the United States and most EU member nations, have recognized it as an independent state.
Relations between Tirana and Belgrade remain sensitive over Kosovo and the ethnic Albanian minority in southern Serbia, which often makes calls for more autonomy.
But although Serbia still refuses to recognize Kosovo, the two sides have reached a European Union-sponsored deal on normalization of ties.
Both Serbia and Kosovo as well as Albania aspire to join the 28-nation EU bloc.
Hoxhaj called for the continuation of dialogue to achieve a "full normalization of ties".
He also urged Belgrade to sign a legally binding agreement on the normalization of ties between the former foes before Serbia joins the EU, as Brussels has requested.
Details of the proposed deal were sketchy, but Hoxhaj said in Kosovo's eyes it would amount to a "peace agreement" with Serbia.
"As far as we are concerned, that treaty would be seen as a recognition of Kosovo, as (the opening of the path) for Kosovo's entry in the U.N. and would mean the start of a process of recognition between the two countries," he said.
He said that as foreign minister he was "a symbol of the state's sovereignty".
Bushati sought to calm fears in Serbia that the drone stunt was the start of a heightened campaign by ethnic Albanians for a state that would encompass Albanian speakers in Serbia, Greece, Macedonia and Montenegro.
"I fear that this idea (of a Greater Albania) is unfortunately a nightmare that exists only in the mind of Serbia. It has never been part of our plans or political objectives," he said.
"Our aim is to see all of the region fully integrated into the EU."
Following the 1998-99 war between Serbian forces and ethnic Albanian guerrillas, a NATO bombing campaign forced Serbian troops to withdraw from Kosovo and cede control of the territory.
European football's governing body UEFA began a disciplinary hearing Thursday over the violence at last week's match which could see punishments handed to both Serbia and Albania.
Source: Agence France Presse
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