Russia Throws Wrench Into Efforts to Renew Serbia-Kosovo Talks

(Bloomberg) -- Russia poured cold water on U.S. and European plans for swift reconciliation between Serbia and Kosovo, with Moscow’s envoy to Belgrade calling the latter a “fake state.”The statements by Ambassador Alexander Botsan-Kharchenko support the long-held position of Serbia’s government, which has refused to recognize its neighbor since it split away after a 1998-1999 war.By contrast, the U.S. wants the former foes to reach a lasting agreement that includes the recognition of Kosovo’s unilateral 2008 secession. The neighbors need to normalize ties to qualify for European Union membership, but EU-mediated talks between them have stalled for more than a year.“There aren’t even preconditions in place for a constructive exchange of opinions or continuation of the dialogue,” Botsan-Kharchenko told reporters in Belgrade Tuesday. “It’s better to wait, to build trust, to solve some small but important problems in everyday life and to ensure progress, step by step, to political negotiations.”Russia has long opposed the spread of euro-Atlantic institutions including the EU and NATO into former communist Europe, including by stoking unrest. Along with backing separatists in Ukraine and Georgia, Russia was blamed by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s newest member, Montenegro, for fomenting a failed coup in 2016. Moscow says it is innocent.‘Fake State’The ambassador said Russia also wants an agreement between the two, and that it didn’t oppose Serbia’s plans to join the EU. He urged Kosovo to lift a punitive 100% tax on Serb goods that Pristina imposed after Serbia blocked its recognition in the Interpol international police body.That dispute helped torpedo a deal floated last year over possibly changing the border between Serbia and the ethnic Albanian-dominated Kosovo. The proposal was also opposed by nationalists and some European Union governments that saw the redrawing of frontiers as too dangerous in a volatile region where territorial disputes abound.“Kosovo is part of Serbia,” Botsan-Kharchenko said. He reiterated the Russian stance that any compromise arrangement would require Serbia’s consent. He also criticized the U.S. backing for Kosovo’s declaration of independence, saying it created a “fake state.”Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has said that his country would never recognize Kosovo unless it gets something in return, and Botsan-Kharchenko said Moscow didn’t understand the opposition to redrawing the map of Europe.“Since the disintegration of the former Yugoslavia, there have been many precedents,” he said. “We didn’t hear such concerns before when borders crumbled in this part of Europe.”To contact the reporter on this story: Misha Savic in Belgrade at msavic2@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Irina Vilcu at isavu@bloomberg.net, Michael Winfrey, Andras GergelyFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.

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