Kosovo, EU, Serbia ...

Whose script of the Serbian-Kosovo normalization will win?

The semi -fabric of European policy caused by coronavirus ends quite dynamically in the Balkans: in three places - in Serbia, Northern Macedonia and Croatia in the coming weeks, postponed parliamentary elections will take place. In the meantime, the frontman of the political scene on the peninsula is Kosovo. The tiny partially recognized state has already been able to force the great world to fight among themselves for a couple of decades ... And, in fact, for what?

The first post -epidemic foreign visit to the Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov inflicted on Belgrade. This had to be done promptly: already on June 27, the President of Serbia Alexander Vuchich and President Kosovo Khashim Tachi is waiting for Donald Trump himself in the White House. At one time, the US president stied out that the reconciliation between Serbia and the autonomous edge of Kosovo and Metohiy, which had been separated from it, in 2008, unilaterally proclaimed the Republic of Kosovo, will occur on a white house. So you need to match.

A special preparatory work was done by the special envoy of the US President on dialogue with Kosovo and Serbia, the former ambassador to Germany and the Director of the National Intelligence of the United States Richard Grenell. Under his leadership, at the beginning of this year, Belgrade and Prisetin managed to agree on the restoration, twenty years after the end of the war, air communication. This was followed by the same document regarding railway and automobile corridors. True, these projects have not yet gained real embodiment, however, the observers believe, and this time the emphasis on the economic rapprochement of the parties will be placed in the White House.

He who trades does not fight, especially since the last government of Kosovo removed one hundred percent duties on Serbian goods.

Introduced in the fall of 2018, they caused great damage to the economy of Serbia. Their cancellation was the only condition of Vuchich to resume dialogue about the principles of normalizing bilateral relations within the framework of the 2013 Brussels Agreement.

Meanwhile, a major actor of modern European policy - France President Macron also has his own interest. Being in July last year in Belgrade on a visit, he said: "Serbia and Kosovo are European countries, and we want to translate this into facts." Then the new informal leader of the European Union repeatedly recalled that he should invite both sides to Paris for negotiations (earlier Angel Merkel was quite unsuccessfully engaged in such mediation). The French capital also wants to become a historical place for Serbia and Kosovo. And now, literally on the eve of Lavrov’s visit, the Koha Ditore, the Primetinskaya newspaper that a two -way meeting at the highest level is outlined there on July 17.

Who will eventually get laurels, Washington or Paris, still have to see, however, as follows from an interview with Grenell, Kosovo Gazeta Express, the Americans do not mind that they themselves contribute to the economic rapprochement of the parties, and the EU - their integration into pan -European policy. This process is entrusted with coordinating the special representative of the EU in the Balkans, the former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Slovakia, Miroslav Laycaku.

Sergei Lavrov was expected in Belgrade with a special feeling (in fact, many people are met here; for example, accepting help from China to fight coronavirus, President Wucich directly at the plane of the plane was kissed by the Chinese flag). What will the Kremlin representative say about the prospect of leaving the Kosovo impasse, which seems so close?

Vuchich sees his historical mission in bringing Serbia to the European Union, and Brussels only welcomes this idea itself, but everyone understands that without resolving the Kosovo problem, this is not feasible. Therefore, Vuchich counted a countless time about his readiness for a compromise, addressing immediately to everyone and arranging his appeals with rational rhetoric:

“So you want Serbia to recognize Kosovo? And as a result, they will receive everything, and we - nothing? .. ".

Russia, on the other hand, has always repeated the same thing: as the Serbs will decide, it will be. But added: based on the resolution of the Security Council 1244! This means that the mentioned Oonov document should be replaced: in the current form, it records the status of the territorial integrity of Serbia, which means it excludes all mutual recognition. It is also clear that any new UN Security Council resolution can be vested with Russia. Agreeing to support settlement, Moscow risks the departure of the Slavic ally not only in the EU, but also in NATO.

As a result, Sergey Lavrov said exactly what they expected from him. Those who watched the live broadcast of their joint press conference with Vuchich saw: the Russian minister obviously did not want to discourage the old friend, a pretty, a little awkward healthy man with a round face of a pioneer-overgrown. Nevertheless, Lavrov said: “We believe that to force the so-called final normalization, to adjust it under any artificial terms would be counterproductive.”

Connoisseurs will appreciate professional humor: Lavrov almost literally repeated the words of the constant representative of the Russian Federation at the UN, said by him back in April during the video conference of members of the Security Council in Kosovo. Then, for the first time, such successful expressions were used - “forcing normalization” and “imposition of terms”.

And it was repeated for the incomprehensible.

Does this mean that we know in what pocket the keys to the Kosovo problem are? Not necessarily. The resolution 1244, which celebrated the complete age of age last week - 21 years old, did her own: contrary to Kosovo, half of the UN members recognized her. The parliamentary elections in Serbia on June 21 can provide the ruling party of Vucich with such a alignment of forces that will allow the people's buying up a possible agreement with Kosovo. Even if it is based on the new borderline demarcation, against which quite serious international forces object - France and Germany, for example, are afraid of a precedent that can seduce others. But it is precisely the exchange of territories that Vuchich himself in view of the “compromise”: the north of Kosovo with part of the Kosovo Mitrovitsa, Kosovars - two in the Albanians of the South Serbia, Presevo and Buyanovats, can move to the Serbs. In this case, the current ethnic boundaries in this part of Europe will become state. As far as is known, this idea is shared by President Kosovo Tachi.

According to the expression of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Serbia Ivitsa Dacich, the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina survived the clinical death and is now returning to life. It would be nice to not drive him into artificial interests who do not distinguish stability from stagnation and their commitment to dogma each time emphasize its failure.