Zubenica: The issue of Kosovo is one of the most important in 2023, and probably for the next few years as well

This year will be more challenging compared to the previous one, considering all the crises - economic, political and geopolitical, which will flow from 2022 into this year, believes Michel Zubenica, executive director of the Center for International Public Policy, reports RTV.

According to him, this year will be fateful for the years ahead.

Zubenica says for Tanjug that the crisis will not only continue, but will also be more severe because, as he believes, the war in Ukraine will not subside, but will apparently escalate even more.

"On the other hand, the economy will feel the consequences even more strongly, it is also possible that the health crisis related to the corona will return to us. These are all big problems that will await our country with the fact that we also have our own specific problems - Kosovo and Metohija, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, which are important for our country and our people," said Zubenica.

He adds that a lot of wisdom and patience will be needed in terms of making important decisions, which will have to follow in 2023.

"That's why the year 2023 will be hard, but also fateful for the years ahead," he emphasizes.

When asked which five events marked the year 2022 in Serbia, Zubenica says that above all the crisis in Kosovo, the political consequences of the war in Ukraine, the economic crisis caused by the war in Eastern Europe, the referendum, the elections.

"The current issue is Kosovo because of the culmination of the crisis at the end of the year. It is a problem that has been going on for years, but last year was a really crisis period for our people there and for our country itself, so the year 2022 was important in that diplomatic struggle for our interests", Zubenica stated.

He points out that the issue of Kosovo will be one of the most important issues in 2023 as well, and probably for the next few years too.

As he says, the outbreak of war in Ukraine, considering Serbia's foreign and political position, has a strong impact on our domestic and foreign policy.

"That crisis led to divisions in our society, generally related to our conception, given that we are a country that pretends to be West to East, East to West and to cooperate with all the great powers," says Zubenica and adds that given that crisis, the question of whether Serbia's foreign policy can remain on that course.

It was this crisis in Ukraine that led to an economic crisis on a global level, especially in Europe, which we in Serbia are also feeling, Zubenica states, adding that it can be felt in the increase of prices in our country.

"Unfortunately, it will not calm down even in 2023 and we can expect economic problems," he adds.

As he says, in 2022 we had a referendum after a long time.

"That referendum referred to our judiciary, to the judicial system, considering that we are a candidate country for EU membership, we should have adapted to European regulations and tried to make our judiciary as independent as possible," he says.

Zubenica mentions the presidential and parliamentary elections as the fifth thing that was important for our country and citizens.

As he says, we had results that could be said to have been expected - Aleksandar Vucic won a second term as president of Serbia, and the old ruling coalition remained.

When asked if he has the impression that Serbia's path to the EU in 2022 has slowed down, Zubenica says that it certainly has, but that there are several factors that put Serbia in that position when it comes to European integration.

"The war in Ukraine had a lot of influence on our foreign policy, on the one hand, we have the goal of being a full member of the EU, but on the other hand, due to specific relations with the Russian Federation, we cannot behave like some other countries that have imposed sanctions on Russia and which broke off diplomatic relations, also because of Kosovo and Metohija. It was imported, we had to behave differently, and therefore we felt certain consequences on the way to the EU, in the sense that some chapters were not opened," Zubenica said.

According to him, the challenge for Serbia in the future will be to maintain the European path, and on the other hand, not to jeopardize relations with friendly countries.