Shekerinska: Without progress in dialogue with Serbia, there will be no progress for Kosovo on the Euro-Atlantic path

NATO Deputy Secretary General Radmila Shekerinska stated that without progress in the dialogue with Serbia, there can be no progress for Kosovo on its Euro-Atlantic path.

The changed global security situation, the return of war to the European continent, and growing geopolitical tensions have once again brought the Western Balkans into NATO’s focus.

Although there are speculations that Kosovo could take a "shortcut" to NATO, Deputy Secretary General of the Alliance Radmila Shekerinska was clear in an interview with KiM Radio: without progress in dialogue with Belgrade, there will be no progress on the Euro-Atlantic path.

“Only the normalization of relations between the two sides can open the door to further integration and a more stable future,” she emphasized.

Shekerinska stressed that support for KFOR remains firm, but that expectations from local political actors are clear.

“Our presence in KFOR, supported by numerous allies, represents a very significant investment. The allies have always emphasized that they are ready to continue that investment, but they expect positive results. And that is why the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina is of utmost importance,” she said.

She recalled that KFOR is NATO’s longest-running active mission and that it plays a key role in preserving peace not only in Kosovo but, in her words, throughout the Western Balkans.

However, military presence cannot replace what is lacking—and that is political compromise, she added, citing the example of North Macedonia.

“I come from a country that tried for almost 30 years to become a NATO member. It took time because there were political obstacles, and as I always tell my counterparts in Pristina, we had to make difficult political decisions and reach reasonable but long-term sustainable compromises in order to resolve the deadlock we had with neighboring Greece, and then join the NATO alliance,” Shekerinska said.

Although she assessed that the cooperation between the Serbian Armed Forces and KFOR is open and professional, the incidents from 2023, she said, are cause for concern, and NATO expects greater accountability.

“The violent incidents in 2023 raised serious concern, and that is why we have continued to request accountability for those events from our partners and colleagues in Belgrade. No ally wants to see its troops endangered due to renewed violence, and that is exactly why we continue our communication with the authorities in Pristina, as well as with our interlocutors in Belgrade,” she added.