Milutinovic: Western countries only react when their interests in Kosovo are threatened

Petar Milutinovic from the Institute for European Studies assesses for Kosovo Online that the swift reactions of the US and German ambassadors in Kosovo to the arrest of Kosovo Police officers are a message to Serbia that it currently has limited maneuvering space, adding that it is a political decision by Western countries to react only when they feel their interests in Kosovo are threatened.

"It is a political decision, it is the stance of Western countries to react only when they feel that their interests in Kosovo are threatened, when what they have financed, what they have created, what they have established - the so-called Kosovo Police - is now being pursued and detained by Serbian authorities as a form of retaliation for what happened with Kosovo's membership in the Council of Europe. And this is truly condemnable, but it is also unfair and is a political decision in the sense that they now, when it affects their interests, exclusively then respond. When it affects the interests of the other side, they do not speak up and do not advocate these same principles in such a decisive and very prompt manner," says Milutinovic, adding that this has long been known to everyone.

He emphasizes that this is "a very bad signal in which direction further events are unfolding," and that what was agreed upon in the Ohrid Agreement is now actually being implemented - that Serbia should not oppose Kosovo's membership in various international organizations, among them the Council of Europe, the European Union, and NATO.

"This incident with the Council of Europe has actually caused these unfortunate events which then further provoked such statements, which it seems to me, only further narrow Serbia's diplomatic maneuvering space. But this should not be used in that way, that is, Serbia should not now go on the defensive, but on the contrary, it should go on the offensive to finally establish the basic postulates of this process of normalization of relations between Belgrade and Pristina and to finally, as far as possible, achieve some progress, all in the aim of stabilizing the political situation in the Western Balkans and complete integration into the EU," Milutinovic states.

According to him, both sides have an interest in being full members of the EU, which he adds is something that is long-term, strategically speaking, the only feasible option.

"Everything else is just manipulations and just a waste of time. Missed opportunities, unused opportunities, years pass, unfortunately, a lot of money is lost, a lot of time is wasted. I say once again, the maneuvering and diplomatic space is narrowing, not just for Serbia but also for Kosovo," concludes our interlocutor.