Kosovo Prime Minister Isa Mustafa will discuss Kosovo-Serbia relations with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin before she visits Belgrade in July.
Mustafa is due to meet Merkel in Berlin at the end of this month – the first official meeting at this level between the two.
Sources within the Kosovo government have confirmed to Balkan Insight that Mustafa will be travelling to Berlin and that the two will discuss the ongoing Kosovo-Serbia dialogue in Brussels, as well as bilateral relations between Kosovo and Germany, shortly before Merkel is expected to travel to Belgrade in early July.
Mustafa’s Democratic League of Kosovo, a centre-right party, has a close relationship with Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union. Both are part of the European People’s Party.
Political analyst Fisnik Korenica says that Germany’s role in the Balkans, especially with relation to Kosovo, is expanding.
“The goal of this meeting is to give a more dynamic direction to the relationship between Kosovo and Serbia, something that Merkel wants to do under her wing, rather than through [EU High Representative Frederica] Mogherini.”
Merkel currently heads the Berlin Process, an initiative that began with the Conference of Western Balkan States in Berlin in 2014, that aims to increase cooperation between countries in that region.
“The Berlin Process is an initiative of Merkel, through which she wants to pull the region out of ethnic tensions by giving the cooperation an economic angle – to create a ‘soft cooperation’ under Berlin’s patronage,” continued Korenica.
“Through this process, Merkel is becoming the leading EU politician in the Western Balkans.”
Pristina hosted one of the conferences in March, on infrastructure investments in the Balkans, which was attended by Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic – the first visit by a Serbian minister since the 1999 conflict.
Merkel is expected to discuss the implementation of the Brussels Agreement with Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic when she visits in early July.
The Kosovo government has a strongly pro-EU approach, often reiterating its commitment to EU integration. Currently, Kosovo is on its way to signing a Stabilization and Association Agreement – a precursor to the accession process for Western Balkan states.
Kosovo declared independence from Serbia – which Belgrade does not recognize – in 2008 and has so far been recognized by 23 out of 28 EU member states.
