TIRANA -- "The sooner Serbia formally recognizes that Kosovo will never again be its part, the better for Serbia and the region," says Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama.

In an interview for the AP, he added that he "firmly felt and believed" that "they have already recognized it without saying so."

Ethnic Albanians in Kosovo in early 2008 unilaterally declared independence, but Serbia rejected the proclamation as a violation of its territorial integrity and sovereignty.

According to Rama, "Serbia and Albania must try to end several decades of mutual hostility by focusing on important issues such as their shared desire to join the EU," rather than on last week's "differences over a football game."

He added that "international politics cannot be driven by football games."

Rama's visit to Serbia, planned for this week, was postponed in the wake of the Serbia vs. Albania UEFA qualifier in Belgrade, when a map of a "Greater Albania" was flown above the pitch, causing incidents.

This nationalist expansionist project would include parts of Serbia, Greece, Macedonia, and Montenegro.

In his interview for the American agency, Rama said:

"We cannot go anywhere alone. Together we can make the EU understand that the Balkans are important for the EU today, as much as the EU is important for the Balkans."

He then added that "a Greater Albania is a Serbian nightmare, not an Albanian project, neither in Albania nor in Kosovo."

"What should unite us is much bigger than what divides us. We want a greater Europe, not a greater Albania. That's what we are fighting for," said Rama.