Nedos: Athens wants good relations with Pristina, but recognition is not on the table

Foreign policy commentator from Athens, Vasilis Nedos, believes that the special mission of Kosovo in Greece will contribute to better relations, but does not think that any significant moves such as official recognition can happen at this time.

Nedos points out that visits by high-ranking Kosovo officials to Athens, including the Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister, have become regular occurrences over the past year, but there is a clear and stable official position of Greece regarding Kosovo.

"The Prime Minister of Kosovo has been here several times in the past year. We have also had visits from the Foreign Minister, so I would say that these kinds of exchanges are not unusual. There is a clear and stable official position of Greece that we want to normalize relations between communities, as well as cultural ties with Kosovo. Therefore, we support the KFOR mission, the Greek military is present in Kosovo, and a few years ago, Kosovo's office was opened in Athens on a bilateral level. However, I do not believe there will be any significant further moves from that, such as official recognition, at least not at this moment," our interlocutor believes.

He states that Greece is part of the Balkans and has "problems with its neighbors," particularly with North Macedonia and also with Albania. Therefore, he says, it is always useful to be in contact with neighbors.

Regarding the special mission itself, Nedos believes that Pristina expects more regular exchanges of opinions and meetings in Athens to persuade them that recognizing Kosovo would not create problems concerning other Greek foreign policy issues.

"However, I do not think this is a step towards recognition. Official recognition of Kosovo would require a different course of events. Of course, we know that this request from Pristina is always on the table, but I do not think the atmosphere here in Athens is ripe for such a step forward in the relations between Greece and Kosovo," he states.

Finally, he points out the significance of Greece as an active participant in regional stability, particularly through its engagement in KFOR missions.

"Greece is the oldest NATO and European Union country in the region, so it is entirely normal and expected that the government in Pristina wants to maintain good and close relations in its foreign policy planning," says the analyst from Athens.