Greece reiterates stance on not recognizing Kosovo

By Talha Ozturk

BELGRADE, Serbia (AA) - Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou said Tuesday that Athens's stance on not recognizing Kosovo is clear and unchanging.

Sakellaropoulou's remarks came at a joint press conference with her Serbian counterpart Aleksandar Vucic during an official visit to Belgrade.

"Our stance on Kosovo is clear and unchanging. There is always pressure on this issue, but they do not affect Greece. There is consistency in our own policy. It is important that the dialogue continues," said Sakellaropoulou.

She added that Athens believes Serbia belongs to the European family and needs to join the European Union.

Spain, Slovakia, Greek Cypriot administration, Romania and Greece are EU member countries that do not recognize Kosovo’s independence.

Vucic, for his part, said Serbia is striving for the European Union membership and will continue to implement all the agreements that will pave the way to the bloc's membership.

"Much of what is expected from Serbia is related to the dialogue with Pristina," said Vucic.

- Serbia-Kosovo dialogue

The EU announced on Feb. 27 that Serbia and Kosovo agreed to sign a proposal to normalize ties after a meeting in Brussels.

The parties later agreed on how to implement the agreement, according to EU officials.

The EU-led Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue that was launched in 2011 aims to find a mutually agreeable solution for disputes in the framework of a legally binding agreement.

Following a flareup in border tensions last summer, EU special representative for the talks, Miroslav Lajcak, presented the bloc’s latest proposal on normalizing in September.

The EU requires Kosovo and Serbia to reach a final agreement and resolve disputes to progress in their integration into the bloc.

Most UN member states, including the US, UK, France, Germany and Türkiye, recognized Kosovo as a separate country after it declared independence from Serbia 15 years ago.

Serbia continues to regard it as its territory.

Vucic said last October that Germany and France had offered to expedite Serbia’s EU membership process if it recognized Kosovo’s independence and allowed it to become a member of international organizations.