Rajic: Many countries that have recognized Kosovo do not want to elevate relations to a higher level

Analyst Predrag Rajic told Kosovo Online that the announcement of the closure of Slovakia’s Liaison Office in Pristina is "a good and commendable gesture from Bratislava." As for other EU non-recognizing countries that have offices in Kosovo, namely Greece and Romania, he believes they will likely keep them open. However, as he noted, both Greece and Romania officially state that this does not change their stance on Kosovo's status and that these offices are kept open for practical reasons.

"The fact is that among the non-recognizers, not every country has had an equally firm position regarding Kosovo and Metohija, not in terms of recognition or non-recognition, but in terms of their relations with the self-government in Pristina. However, I believe that, based on what we can analyze at this point, nothing will change in the foreseeable future regarding the official stances of these countries and their refusal to recognize the so-called Kosovo, despite various pressures," said Rajic.

He views the closure of the Slovak Liaison Office, which was opened during the mandate of the previous Slovak government, as a result of the serious efforts of the Serbian government and the respect that the President of Serbia enjoys in that country. As for the fact that some of the countries that have recognized Kosovo from the EU and the rest of the world do not have embassies in Pristina, he sees a mixture of several reasons behind it.

"First of all, it is a kind of provisional situation, meaning that even those who have recognized the so-called Kosovo are aware of this. Many countries that have recognized the so-called Kosovo neither have the desire nor the interest to develop those relations at any kind of quasi-diplomatic level. On the other hand, it is definitely clear that Pristina lacks administrative capacity and prestige, even in its interactions with those states that formally consider them equal partners. Many countries have found some kind of compromise solution; for example, they have officially recognized Kosovo, but have decided not to develop diplomatic relations, like Egypt, or as was the case for a long time with the Czech Republic. These were situations where those countries recognized the so-called Kosovo under some pressure, but did not want to take the next step and elevate those relations to a higher level, primarily out of respect for official Belgrade," Rajic explains.