Kosovo Foreign Minister Behgjet Pacolli said that he was against the idea of a correction of the Kosovo border and estimated that the solution was to establish a common economic zone, reports Serbian media.
Pacoli in Vienna, in his statement to Belgrade based news agency Tanjug, where he had a speech in the EU representation, said that there should not be divisions on the grounds of ethnicity, language, religion and anything else, but that we must live together and be committed to the economy.
“We need to work hard to find instruments in order to speed up the standard of living of citizens,” explained Pacolli.
He added that work should be done to ensure a better life, security, better education, because, as he points out, there is space for work, not for the borders.
In his address at the EU Representation in Vienna, Pacolli also said that his opinion was that they should not divide the citizens of Kosovo, but that they need to be offered a better life by strengthening the economy.
“We do not need to divide citizens, but we need to be closer, I hope that Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Kosovo Hashim Thaci will see it.” Kosovo and Serbia want to be part of the EU, and Europe is multi-ethnic, multi-confessional, he explained.
“Instead of sharing or exchanging territories, let’s arrange for a free economic zone to be established in that territory, which would surely attract investment, and thus improve the standard of living of citizens. People need to think about economy, better life, because when economy is better the state is losing all political tension,” he said.
He explained that his personal idea is that when they want to establish a company in Kosovo, citizens of Serbia must be treated the same as Kosovo citizens, and on basis such as this one can be cooperated in the future.
According to his words, changing the boundaries cannot be a “future,” but we should turn to the economy, because when living is better it will not be important to citizens where do they live.
He suggested that the discussion on the solution for Kosovo was not completed, but he repeated that it should not be divided.
He stated that, based on these rights, Kosovo cannot make any decisions without the participation of Serbs in the assembly.
“Serbia wants the north, and if we give it what will happen to other Serbs in the remaining six municipalities in the south. If Serbia thinks Kosovo is part of its territory, let us declare a common economic zone,” he said.
He pointed out that Pristina talks with Belgrade now about a final solution to the problem, and that he hopes “Day D” will follow the next days or months.
“I hope that we will end the negotiations with a peace agreement with Serbia that will bring sustainable peace and stability. It is not normal not to have good relations with Serbia, which we accept as the most important country in the region, as the most important partner, but also Serbia must accept that Kosovo’s independence is a fact. Based on these two facts, we need to build our future, “he explained.
Pacolli said he supports the dialogue and Thaci, pointing out that it is important for Kosovo to become a member of international organizations.
He criticized Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic and said that Dacic allegedly spent huge sums of money for withdrawal of the recognition of Kosovo’s independence.
“I guarantee that not a single country has withdrawn the recognition, they need to inform us that they do not recognize us anymore. Dacic released fake news,” he said.
In his speech, he pointed out that Kosovo’s priority is to get closer to the EU, and called on Brussels not to keep Kosovo isolated, but to allow Pristina to progress along with the other five countries of the Western Balkans.
“Without the Western Balkans, and Kosovo, Europe will not be complete, and as a jigsaw puzzle it will not be stable if it lacks some part,” Pacolli explained.
MP Mandl said he was first surprised when he heard about the idea of exchanging territories, but that, when he thought a little more thoroughly, he was encouraged that Belgrade and Pristina talked about something.
“Whatever your agenda, it’s good to talk and negotiate. It’s the beginning of a different relationship between Belgrade and Pristina,” he was convinced.
A former EU envoy in Kosovo, Wolfgang Petritsch, who attended the meeting, said that the idea of border correction should not be rejected, because it is important that the two sides find a solution, since the imposed solution is not sustainable.
He recalled that one should be open to such solutions, because Kosovo has not been recognized by the whole world, and status quo would not correspond to Pristina.
“It is very important that the solution proposed by the two sides be examined, even if it is against the current principles, because the principles may need to be improved,” Petrich said.
