Summit in Berlin: One of the leaders of the Kosovo separatists quarreled with Macron

The “Western Balkans” summit, convened specifically to resolve the Kosovo issue, which is taking place in Berlin these days, has not yet borne fruit. And this is unlikely to happen - after all, the problem is not only the opposing views of the main parties to the conflict. But the fact is that Kosovo “President” Hashim Thaçi and “Prime Minister” Ramush Haradinaj do not have a common opinion on the further development of the region separated from Serbia, as well as common demands.

The New York Times, in a piece on the summit, writes that German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron must first “mediate between Kosovo’s two leaders.” For the latter, as in the famous fable, pull in different directions.

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The main topic of disagreement between the leaders of the Kosovo separatists is the attitude towards the Western plan to exchange the Serbian enclaves of Kosovo for the transfer of part of southern Serbia - the Presevo Valley, where the Slavic population is in the minority, under Albanian control.

Thaci supports this plan. Haradinaj said that “experimenting with borders is unconstitutional.”

In an interview with the publication, Thaci denies accusations of a power struggle with Haradinaj, saying that the two were friends in the “struggle for independence” and that they remain friendly despite their differences.

"I'm an optimist. I believe that we can reach an agreement that will bring recognition of Kosovo by Serbia, while the prime minister is more skeptical about this issue,” Thaci told the newspaper.

The Pristina newspaper “Blitz” claims that at the summit there was a conflict between Kosovo “Prime Minister” Haradinaj and French President Emmanuel Macron. The reason, allegedly, was the issue of lifting the blockade of Kosovo enclaves, which was caused by the introduction of a 100 percent duty on products imported into the region from Serbia, as well as Bosnia and Herzegovina. This measure has already led to the fact that milk and bread have practically disappeared from store shelves in Serbian enclaves. All this could cause a humanitarian catastrophe for the Serbs in the region.

The French leader said that the introduced fees are the reason for the breakdown of the dialogue with Belgrade, and accused Pristina of violating European trade norms, Sputnik writes.

The Kosovo government did not find understanding in negotiations with the head of European diplomacy, Federica Mogherini, who also demands the abolition of the duty, for which Haradinaj has repeatedly criticized her.

Probably in this regard, Thaci took Kosovo Foreign Minister Begjet Paccoli to a meeting with her. However, despite EU demands to review the decision on the duty, Hashim Thaci said after a meeting with the EU foreign policy chief that the fee is a legal right and Pristina will tighten these measures “if Serbia continues to pursue an aggressive policy against Kosovo,” RTK2 reports.

Negotiations were also held on the liberalization of the visa regime with the EU for citizens of Kosovo, but so far there has been no progress on this issue from the leadership of the union.

At the same time, the Albanian leadership speaks of support for its position from the United States, the main curator of Kosovo. Thaci said in an interview with Reuters that without Washington’s participation, dialogue with Serbia will be impossible.

Russian political scientist Oleg Bondarenko, in a commentary for the Gazeta.ru website, stated that the interests of the EU countries and the United States in the Kosovo issue diverge. In European capitals, they proceed from the fact that Europe as an entity has finally been formed, and decisions should be made in Brussels and Berlin, explains Bondarenko.

In turn, Washington is actively promoting the interests of the Kosovars and Albanians, who are completely dependent on the United States. With their support, Pristina can introduce its army, created in violation of all agreements, into the southern part of Serbia. And this will be the reason for the start of a large-scale war.