“A key topic of debate in Belgrade is the ‘land swap’ proposal; a ‘comprehensive deal’ that would allow Serbia regain disputed territory (North Kosovo) in exchange for Serbia recognising Kosovo as a state. It is, however, not clear whether the Vucic-Thaci talks are going anywhere; nor whether any deal could be sold in Kosovo. There is still a long way to go,” a British diplomat, European adviser, and a former mediator in the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, Robert Cooper, allegedly wrote in a letter to the ECSF, which Pristina-based portal Gazeta Express got hold of, KoSSev portal reports.
Cooper wrote this letter following the Belgrade Security Forum (BSF), where he was one of the speakers and met with a number of Serbian officials, and ambassadors to Serbia from EU countries.
“The preoccupation with this particular question is dangerous as it distracts from the real problems that need to be solved before Serbia can join the European Union. Democracy and the rule of law are the most important of these.
“President Vucic may have persuaded himself that Kosovo is so important that, if he solves this, the rest will not matter. He imagines Brussels longing for a heroic Balkan strongman doing geopolitical deals, whereas what it would be really like is a predictable, well-run country that minds its own business and gets on well with its neighbours,“ the letter further reads.
