Kolakovic: Macron's messages regarding Kosovo will be aimed at calming the situation and respecting agreements

It is extremely important that French President Emmanuel Macron is making a second visit to Serbia during his second term, which represents a continuation of France's interest in the Western Balkans and confirms the development of bilateral relations between France and Serbia from 2019 to the present, Aleksandra Kolakovic, a senior research fellow at the Institute for Political Studies, says to Kosovo Online.

This dynamic development of relations between the two countries, as she points out, confirms that there is room for additional understanding of the Serbian problem in the context of Kosovo, whose independence France has recognized.

"We have seen this in the past period because France has insisted on respecting the agreements from the dialogue. The French president himself has also presented his ideas and views on how the problem of Kosovo and Metohija could be resolved. In this context, we should also consider France's efforts to postpone the discussion on Kosovo's entry into the Council of Europe and its insistence on continuing talks and dialogue, while on the other hand, respecting the roadmap that has already been outlined, which first involves the Community of Serb Municipalities, and then some other points. I expect that the message from the French president will be precisely aimed at calming the situation, respecting what has been agreed, and continuing the dialogue, and not at escalating violence because the areas of Kosovo and Metohija, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, when we talk about the Balkans, are recognized as potentially risky points for security," Kolakovic says.

Further support from France for European integration and the deepening of relations between France and Serbia, she adds, is very important at this moment as a new European administration is expected.

The key topics of discussion between President Macron, who arrives in Belgrade today, and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, according to our interlocutor, will be the purchase of Rafale aircraft and economic cooperation.

"According to the announced program of the French president's visit, in addition to Belgrade, he will also visit Novi Sad and its IT center, where he will discuss youth relations and the issue of artificial intelligence. The key to France-Serbia relations is the transfer of knowledge, experience, and technology, and important topics will also include energy, healthcare, and cultural cooperation, within which Macron will visit the Matica Srpska Gallery," Kolakovic states.

She emphasizes that the arrival of the French president at a time when he is facing an extremely complicated political situation in his own country, just a day after the opening of the Paralympic Games and the commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the Normandy landings, is a strong message in a political, geopolitical, and geostrategic sense in favor of Serbia.

"It should be noted that there are already concrete results from the development of relations between the two countries, as the memorandums and bilateral agreements signed in July 2019 have been implemented. Moreover, during this visit, the official completion of works at Nikola Tesla Airport will be marked, which is yet another symbol of the development of relations between France and Serbia. Now that we have firmer, better, and clearer communication with France, even though we do not agree on all issues, we can seek better solutions and explanations for the Serbian position," Kolakovic concludes.