Drecun: No mechanism or EU bureaucrats will force Belgrade to recognize Kosovo

Milovan Drecun, the President of the Committee for Defense and Internal Affairs of the Serbian Parliament, stated tonight that no mechanism, whether from the European Union or from some European bureaucrats, will be able to force Belgrade to recognize the "false state of Kosovo," RTV reports.

Drecun made this statement to Tanjug in response to claims by Toby Vogel from the Council for Democratisation Policy, who told Albanian media that the election of Estonian Kaja Kallas is positive for Pristina and that she will be much tougher on Belgrade "in terms of politics and atmosphere" than the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell and the EU Special Representative for the Dialogue, Miroslav Lajcak.

According to Drecun, if a firmer stance needs to be taken to achieve progress in the dialogue, it should be directed towards Pristina.

"Anyone who tries to misuse the dialogue and the Franco-German agreement proposal to force Belgrade to recognize, either de facto or de jure, the false state of Kosovo is greatly mistaken. No mechanism from the European Union or some European bureaucrats will be able to force Belgrade to accept the recognition of the false state of Kosovo," Drecun emphasized.

He said that Belgrade should have significant reservations towards Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, who is proposed to succeed Josep Borrell as the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, highlighting that the main problem is that Kallas comes from a country that has recognized Kosovo.

Drecun also remarked that Vogel's statement reflects a Western stereotype suggesting that Belgrade is the one preventing progress in the dialogue, not Pristina.

Regarding Vogel's assertion that the main criticism is that Borrell and Lajcak come from EU countries that have not recognized Kosovo and therefore did not fully represent the EU's stance, Drecun argues that a much stronger objection is that Borrell's successor comes from a country that has recognized Kosovo and personally advocates for Kosovo to gain full international recognition as a state.

He added that it is crucial for Belgrade that the person succeeding Borrell in this position has an objective, constructive approach to the dialogue and does not hold a biased stance towards either Belgrade or Pristina.

Drecun stressed the importance of the new high representative advocating for the implementation of agreements reached under EU auspices since 2013.

"Anything else is unrealistic policy and will not lead to results," Drecun concluded.