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Focus News Agency (22 June 2018)

Hopefully, Belgrade and Pristina will follow the good example of Skopje and Athens, bringing the talks to a positive conclusion, Bobi Bobev, former Bulgarian ambassador to Albania and Kosovo, told Focus Radio in relation to a resumption of dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia this Sunday. He said the most contentious points were Pristina’s desire to change the status of security forces and Belgrade’s insistence on the establishment of an association of Serbian municipalities, issues on which there were previous attempts for consensus. “This is obviously serious political bargaining, looking for a compromise between the two red lines. Those red lines are clear enough now, with some room in between. On the one hand, Serbia has said it will in no way recognise Kosovo, and objectively, no one wants it to recognise Kosovo. On the other hand, Kosovo wants to conclude the dialogue with a mutual recognition document, which would open the door to international organisations, in the first place the UN. From this point of view, there is serious room between those two red lines, which makes it possible to look for some compromise. The question is to what extent they will be willing to compromise. To date both parties seem firm enough,” he said. He further commented that Brussels should not lose the initiative as a mediator and should not repeat the mistake of 2011, when the Western Balkans region was forgotten.

http://www.focus-fen.net/news/2018/06/22/431700/bobi-bobev-former-bulgarian-ambassador-to-albania-and-kosovo-lets-hope-that-belgrade-and-pristina-will-follow-the-example-of-skopje-and-athens-bringing-talks-to-positive-conclusion.html