The president of the self-proclaimed republic of Kosovo, Hashim Taci, said he plans to invite in Brussels, in talks with Belgrade, to join the Albanian-populated areas of southern central Serbia, for which he is ready to change the Kosovo constitution.
On the territory of the extreme south of central Serbia are the municipalities of Presevo, Bujanovac and Medvedja, partially inhabited by Albanians, whose leaders periodically require the integration of their Presevo Valley with Pristina. In 2001, there were armed clashes between Albanian troops and Serbian authorities. Former field commander of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), Thaci, told a news conference in Pristina on Wednesday that the possible joining of the Presevo Valley to the self-proclaimed republic “does not imply the partition of Kosovo, the exchange of territory or autonomy for Kosovo Serbs, only the adjustment of borders.”
“The adjustment of the border assumes the full accession of Presevo, Medvedja and Buyanovtse to Kosovo. This would be a transparent and responsible process of reconciliation between (self-proclaimed – ed.) Kosovo and Serbia. If both sides agree with this, no one will be able to resist it. If necessary, Kosovo will change the constitution in the event of the accession of the Presevo Valley, “Tachi Radio and Kosovo television quotes.
The leader of the unrecognized state noted that the adjustment of the borders should be carried out with the official demarcation (delineation) between Pristina and Belgrade.
“The demands of political leaders from Medvedge, Presevo and Bujanovac are officially formalized, and I will present them in Brussels. It will be very difficult, almost impossible, but if we achieve something, a miracle will happen, and if it does not work out, we at least tried. It must be borne in mind that such a moment should not be missed, “the television channel quotes the words of the Kosovo president.
Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic told reporters in Belgrade in early August that a good time had come for “reaching a compromise solution.” He argued that this was an interest in solving the issue of the US leadership, the European Union and Russia’s position. Serbian President Alexander Vučić also stressed that the Serbian authorities are ready for a “compromise solution” on the Kosovo issue and, for their part, observe all the agreements reached in the dialogue with Kosovo Albanians with the mediation of the EU in Brussels.
The possibility of an exchange between Belgrade and Pristina compactly populated by Kosovo Serbs in the municipalities of Leposavic, Zubin-Potok, Zvecan and North Mitrovica in the north from the Ibar River to the Albanian-populated municipalities of Presevo, Buyanovac and Medvedja in the extreme south of Serbia periodically pops up in society and the media.
The Kosovo-Albanian structures in Pristina in February 2008 unilaterally proclaimed independence from Serbia. The authorities of Serbia, under the pressure of Brussels and for bringing the region closer to the European Union, and also for the sake of easing the life in the province, Serbian citizens in 2011 were forced to begin negotiations on normalizing relations with Kosovo Albanians through the mediation of the EU.
The largest agreements reached are the “Brussels” agreement on the principles of normalization of relations between Belgrade and Pristina, concluded in April 2013, and the agreement on the Community of Serb communities, signed by the parties in August 2015. The last time given by Brussels for the implementation of these agreements – August 4 – was not observed by Pristina, which led to increased tensions in Kosovo.