Belgrade “fire” in Athens because of Kosovo
The Greek government’s decision to upgrade Kosovo’s trade office in Athens is causing tensions in Greek-Serbian relations.
The issue that was at the top of the agenda in the planned visit of the Greek Prime Minister to Belgrade, a visit that was postponed due to bad weather in Greece.
The exclusive interview he gave to the Greek euronews, to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Serbia, did not hide the disappointment of the Serbian government.
“We are not happy about this. “It’s something that upsets Serbian citizens as well as the interests of our international relations, but we had the strong promise from the Prime Minister of Greece, the countryside Kyriakos Mitsotakis, that the position of the Hellenic Republic will not change.” comments Serbian Foreign Minister Nikola Selakovic.
Athens has not recognized Kosovo’s independence, like most European countries. Serbia is convinced that Greece will never recognize an independent Kosovo.
Mr. Selakovic typically states: “I think that the relations between two such countries as Serbia and Greece must be based on mutual trust. And I think that our friendship, which does not exist for only a few years or only for a decade, but exists throughout our history, in the Middle Ages and in modern times, is the strong guarantee for our friendship and our friendly ties. . . “I do not want to believe that such a traditional friend of ours as the Hellenic Republic can change its position, knowing that a sister and friendly country like the Republic of Cyprus has exactly the same, similar, problem that Serbia is facing.”
A new round of talks on Belgrade-Pristina relations begins next week, but expectations for substantial progress are slim.