Germany will not ask Belgrade to officially recognize Kosovo’s independence, but it recalls the model of “Two Germanys”, assess Franz-Lothar Altmann, professor of the University of Bucharest ahead of the meeting of Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Belgrade based daily Blic reports.
Altmann believes that Serbia should not expect too much from that meeting, as, he explains, Germany’s position on EU enlargement, Serbia’s application for membership and the situation in relations between Belgrade and Pristina – remains unchanged.
In a commentary to news agency Tanjug and the European Western Balkans portal, on the occasion of President Alexander Vucic’s visit to Berlin at the invitation of Angela Merkel, Altmann says, who is also a personal friend of the German Chancellor, that it is important for Germany to resolve the issue of Kosovo.
Otherwise, he says, Serbia’s membership will remain blocked, which, he adds, is absolutely not in the interest of Germany.
Altmann expects Merkel to repeat that the German parliament will not ratify Serbia’s membership, “unless there is a clearly agreed solution for the status of Kosovo.”
– Germany is considering possible Kosovo’s EU membership, which is impossible if Belgrade insists that Kosovo is part of Serbia. Unlike other countries, Germany does not insist that Belgrade officially recognize Kosovo as an independent state, but recalls the situation between the two Germanys during the Cold War, when the so-called “Basic Treaty” (signed in 1972) opened the door of international organizations to the East Germany without its official recognition – said Altman.
Altman adds it can be expected from Merkel to discuss with Vucic and about the upcoming EU and Western Balkans summit in Sofia where Pristina will participate, but, as he says, and “the unfortunate rhetoric of some members of the government in Belgrade, which prompted similar reactions in Pristina “.
He notes that German political observers have the impression that there is a different “division of the game” among Serbian politicians, in the sense that Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic “plays the role of a moderate and western-oriented leader,” but allows members of the government “to express their commitment to Moscow and foster Kosovo’s conflict ,” Blic reports.
In this context, Altman says that Belgrade probably noticed that the new German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas has taken a much clearer and more critical attitude towards Russia than his predecessor, Sigmar Gabriel.
