Mijacic: The catholicization of Albanians in Kosovo could cause issues

Albanians from the territory of Kosovo are massively converting to Catholicism, which, as assessed today by Dragisa Mijacic, coordinator of the Working Group of the National Convention on the EU for Chapter 35, will bring social problems and challenges, reports RTV.

In an interview with Tanjug, Mijacic pointed out that in the coming years, the issue of religious identity among them will be much more pronounced than it has been so far.

"There is significant dissatisfaction within the Islamic community due to the process of converting their followers. If it weren't for the ongoing dialogue and relations with Serbia, this would be their biggest issue. However, everything happening in the relations with Serbia is making this other issue simply less significant," Mijacic said.

According to him, under these circumstances, the Vatican will not recognize Kosovo, but it will also not work on withdrawing its recognition.

"No one is working on derecognizing Kosovo, nor on suppressing its statehood," Mijacic stated.

He added that countries that do not recognize Kosovo's independence are still able to develop cooperation and relations with it.

"For example, Greece is strengthening economic relations with them. There is more Greek presence in Kosovo than in countries that have recognized independence," Mijacic said.

He added that all these countries are waiting for Serbia to normalize relations with Kosovo before they themselves recognize its independence.

Reflecting on the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, Mijacic noted that there is a stall due to the U.S. elections and the reconstitution of European institutions.

"We have to wait until January of next year. We will have a new envoy by late December or early January. During this period, things are mostly in hibernation," he said.

According to him, it will be difficult to maintain peace given that a substantive dialogue does not exist.
"The focus will be on normalizing relations without actual recognition," Mijacic added.

Speaking about the opening of the bridge over the Ibar River, he highlighted that the ultimate goal is the delineation of the municipalities of North and South Mitrovica.

"And that's why the Serbs are protesting, and that's why the international community says, 'let's create a boundary between these two municipalities,' but the Kosovo government does not want to create a boundary in a way that retains a Serb majority in the north, as the Northern municipality was created to ensure a Serb majority," Mijacic concluded.