The second round table within the internal dialogue on Kosovo held yesterday in Belgrade gathered representatives of 22 Serbian institutes of social sciences and more than 50 scientists and researchers, Serbian media reported.

Directors and associates of accredited institutes of humanities and social sciences in Serbia, including the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts spoke about the solution to the Kosovo issue in the light of wider, European integration and proposed a major international conference for finding a comprehensive, sustainable, just and lasting solution but also a forming of a national commission for the preparation of a model solution.

They also highlighted that the issue of Kosovo status is the most important national issue for Serbia.

Most of the attendees have also emphasized the need to empower the Serbian community in Kosovo, in particular their economic, property and human rights.

Director of the Institute for Contemporary History Momcilo Pavlovic thinks that the solution could be found is wider integrations, because this was demonstrated by history and added that “today, Serbs and Albanians agree only about one thing - both want to join the EU,” and therefore he proposed wider integration, simultaneous entry to the EU, and then application of the European standards in the area.

Pavlovic also proposed another solution, which is “creation of a Community of Free Balkan nations, i.e. the Balkan states, which is also known in history”.

Third option, in his opinion, could be “an international conference in line with the pre-established principles, with the involvement of great powers and stakeholders, which would simultaneously contemplate the Serbian-Albanian issue in the Balkans, respecting their interests”.

Serbian Government Office for Kosovo Director, Marko Djuric addressed the reporters during the break of yesterday’s debate and said they had an opportunity to hear “different, sometimes diametrically opposite views on the issue of KiM, but that this was the quality of the discussion,” while the Secretary General of the Serbian President Nikola Selakovic said that the “discussion showed that the issue of KiM is not only an issue for the politicians, but for anyone who works, creates, lives and raises his/her children in Serbia”.

Selakovic also announced the continuation of the dialogue and that the next round table would soon be held in Matica Srpska (the oldest Serbian literary, cultural and scientific society) in Novi Sad, Serbian media reported.