Pahor: Kosovo must "deliver" the CSM, Serbia must decide for the West

Kosovo had to "deliver" the CSM because that would increase the trust of Pristina and Belgrade more than before, the former president of Slovenia, Borut Pahor said.

Pahor, in a conversation organized by the Atlantic Council, emphasized that he had always supported the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia, because, although it had not been perfect, it had produced results.

"In the end, the final solution will depend on the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic - whether he will be on the European or Russian side. If he chooses the Russian side, there will not be a good final solution to the Kosovo issue, and if it is on the European side, sooner or later there will be a good compromise, which will provide Kosovo with formal diplomatic independence," the Slovenian politician believes.

He added that, as a friend of all, he had to say always that Kosovo had to deliver the Community of Serb-majority Municipalities.

"The CSM has been signed and it is up to Kosovo to deliver it. There must be some kind of community. By establishing the CSM, the trust between Serbia and Kosovo would be better than before," Pahor believes.

He pointed out that the European Union and the USA had an "extremely" important and positive role in the dialogue.

Pahor assessed that Europe was threatened by division into democratic and non-democratic countries and that it was important for the Balkans which direction Serbia would take.

"If the West is able to induce Serbia to turn its back on Russia, then we will have the entire Balkans on the side of the West. If Serbia chooses Russia, then in a few years we will face an unstable region," he warned.

However, he adds that not everything depends only on Serbia.

"It is not only up to Serbia to decide, but also up to the EU. I hope that the EU will intensify the enlargement process, that it will not look at it as a technical issue, but as a political and geopolitical issue," Pahor emphasized.

He assessed, as someone who knew the leaders in Serbia, that the big challenge for them would be to decide whose side they would be on in the future because the Serbs were emotionally attached to Russia, and rationally to the West.

Pahor pointed out that patience was needed on the side of the Union, to give time to the citizens and leaders of Serbia to move step by step to the western side.

"My message to the West is that it is worth being patient and working with Serbian leaders because it is about peace and stability in the Balkans for the next decades. It is important for Vucic to have a guarantee that at the end of the European road, there will be full membership in the EU. He would not want to see Serbia not get the membership at the end of the European road," Pahor explained.

He also pointed out that Russia had influence not only on Serbia and Republika Srpska but also partly on North Macedonia and Montenegro.

He concluded that the Western Balkans needed economic cooperation, under the auspices of the Berlin Process or the Open Balkan.

When it comes to NATO, he assessed that it would be good for the Bosnian leadership to make sure that they followed the path of membership, because in this way, Bosnia and Herzegovina, of course together with the Republika Srpska, would be on the safe side of a divided Europe.

As far as Serbia is concerned, Pahor says that he does not currently see it in NATO due to the historical context, but if Belgrade decides for the West, the expansion of NATO to the Western Balkans would be possible.