Jeremic: Pristina is a "child" of the West, there will be no new sanctions against Kosovo

The West will not impose new sanctions on Kosovo, and critical views directed at Pristina should be seen through the lens of "common diplomatic rhetoric" used by those states that do not have concrete interests or capabilities to clearly and openly push their views, Zoran Jeremic, former ambassador of Serbia to Germany, assesses for Kosovo Online.

"Mostly, it all ends with a 'surprise', 'concern'. But, there is no vocabulary we are unfortunately accustomed to. Those are vocabularies of ultimatums and threats. There is some of that in Pristina now, they talk in such a way, but they try not to make it public. Let's not forget that Pristina is their child. They discipline their children, and if they 'beat' them – they beat so that no one sees," Jeremic says.

Explaining why he does not think the West will impose new measures on Kosovo, Jeremic says it can be seen from the statements of officials calling for the suspension of the decision to abolish the dinar as a means of payment.

"It would be normal to demand the withdrawal of the decision. Then, when you do not withdraw the decision, you have a deadline, and suspension means nothing. It can mean quiet regulation and maintenance, but it is a certain pressure. Whether it is directed at the internal field or whether it is directed at the actors who participated in the foreign policy plan, it is difficult to say," the diplomat says.

According to him, more drastic pressure on the Kosovo authorities will depend equally on Pristina and those who support it.

"The question is whether this can be achieved, even with a successful session of the UN Security Council, which should only be a substitute for the unsuccessful EU policy and mediation that fails to do so. Perhaps this will be an opportunity to make it clear to them that the EU, despite all intentions and desires, is unable to implement what we agree upon," Jeremic assesses.

According to him, despite the change in the narrative of the US Ambassador to Pristina, Jorn Rohde, Germany will not change its attitude toward Kosovo.

"I don't see a change in Germany's foreign policy. There is a change in narrative, a change in rivalry with the US. And that's an old problem. They don't allow each other primacy in the field they consider their own. Germany sees the Balkans as its backyard, and this is a good opportunity to at least express rivalry and show who has what capabilities to influence factors in that area," Jeremic concludes.