Columnist Enver Robelli writes there is currently a lot of frenzy in Serbia fuelled by the statement of the new president of the Serbian Academy of Sciences Vladimir Kostic that Kosovo is Serbia’s neighbor not its province and that someone should tell the people in Serbia that “Kosovo is de facto and de jure not in our hands.” The media and politicians in Serbia soon rushed to brand Kostic’s statement are being “shameful and humiliating” but according to Robelli, the statement represents a step in the right direction considering the past activity of the Serbian Academy of Sciences which was more commonly known for spreading nationalism and hatred rather than science and humanity. However, even from the perspective of Serb nationalist circles, Kosovo is increasingly being seen as a lost battle and during the imminent opening of EU accession negotiations, Serbia in a way should come to terms with the existence of Kosovo as a state although it will take quite some time before a Serbian embassy is opened in Pristina. “Nevertheless, the train has left the station,” observes Robelli.