According to the European Western Balkans newspaper, Serbian Integration Minister Jadranka Joksimovic and Serbian Government’s Chief of Office for Kosovo-Metohija, Marko Duric, submitted to the ambassadors of EU member states a non-paper on the co-ordinated attempts of Albanian leaders on the legitimization of the project for a Greater Albania.
The document contains four questions. According to them, Belgrade demands that important international actors condemn the aggressive rhetoric that is pushing Western Balkan countries into conflicts and divide, and seeks a continuation of the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, a balanced and peaceful crisis solution in Macedonia and compliance to the international laws on territorial integrity and the sovereignty of internationally recognized states.
We bring into attention that in an interview for Politico in Europe, published on April 18th , Prime Minister Rama said that “if the prospect of Western Balkans membership in the EU continues to fade, Albania’s unification with Kosovo can not be excluded”.
On April 19th, the statement of Prime Minister Rama was followed by that of the President of Kosovo, Hashim Thaci, who said that:
“I said in 2013 and I repeat again now: if the EU closes it’s doors for Kosovo, all Albanians in the region will live in the same space, with the intention to later to integrate into the European family.”
The statements of the Prime Minister of Albania and the President of Kosovo caused tensions with the Serbian government. Serbian President, Vucic replied, “If I were to say something about unifying the Serbs in the region, I would be the one hanging in Brussels instead of their flags.”
Prime Minister Rama’s statement was also criticized by US Ambassador to Albania Donald Lu, who said that “the US government supports the sovereignty of Kosovo and Albania. We are against any careless discussion about unification. It hampers the stability of the region and the European path for both countries. “
