Kosovo’s PM: I tell President I’m against border changes

NEWS 31.08.201813:33
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Kosovo’s Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj said on Friday he told President Hashim Thaci he was against the changes of the border (with Serbia), the Beta news agency reported.

Haradinaj warned he would not take part in the next round of the Belgrade – Pristina dialogue on normalisation of relations if the issue of border changes were on the agenda of the Brussels talks.

Senior Kosovo officials said on Thursday they were against the changes of the border, advocated by Thaci who insisted that the annexation of Serbia’s southern region of Presevo Valley, mostly populated by the ethnic Albanians, should be on the agenda.

Kosovo leaders have been at odds regarding the issue of the border change with Thaci the only one pushing for the idea to be included into the Belgrade – Pristina dialogue.

Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vucic also indirectly mentioned something similar, saying he was for the boundary with the Albanians.

The international community appears to be also split, with London and some officials familiar with the region opposing the idea, while the US and EU fell short of entirely rejecting it, while Berlin said it was against, but later on eased a bit.

Some observers believe that the change in an overall attitude to the border changes, if accepted by both Belgrade and Pristina, is linked to the European Parliament elections in May 2019, and the internal fight among the member parties.