Dendias in Pristina: Western Balkans’ EU path ‘is a one-way road’
The Western Balkans’ path towards the European Union “is a one-way road”, Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias said following his meeting with his Kosovar counterpart Donika Gervalla-Schwarz in Pristina on Tuesday.
“In this framework, I believe that progress in the Dialogue between Pristina and Belgrade will be instrumental in promoting the EU aspirations. A future in which revisionist policies and neo-imperialist ideologies, maybe envisioned by some countries, is a no-go for us. This is a 19th-century, not a 21st-century, agenda,” he said at a press conference.
Dendias said his visit to Pristina, following the meeting with his counterpart of North Macedonia in Greece, and his own visit to Belgrade on Monday and the upcoming visit to Tirana on Wednesday “highlights the significance Greece attaches to the region and to its close collaboration with the Western Balkans.” The EU, he added, “in the final analysis is the final destination for everybody interested in the Western Balkans,” particularly given the present geopolitical challenges after Russia’s invasion in Ukraine.
Speaking of Greece as an emerging hub of energy in the Balkans, he said it was important for Kosovo to “to acquire your energy independence and also move away from coal towards the new era of protection of the environment.”
While in Kosovo, Dendias also attended a lunch in his honor by Prime Minister Albin Kurti, with whom he exchanged views on collaborating in economy and energy, on the Belgrade-Pristina Dialog , and on the European progress of the Western Balkans.
[AMNA]
