Kosovo's Independence and Serbia's Foreign Policy
Video Transcript:
Video Transcript:
During the weekend, Kosovo celebrated the fifth anniversary of its declaration of independence. In Belgrade, however, Serbian authorities claimed that the country would never recognize the independence of what it considers a rebel territory. The status of Kosovo marks Serbia's relations with the rest of the world, including its neighbors, the European Union and NATO.
Tensions between Serbia and Kosovo have deep historical roots, but the current frictions go back to the collapse of Yugoslavia in the early 1990s when the Albanian population in Kosovo demanded control of the region. These demands coincided with the rise of Albanian militant groups in Kosovo and military repression by Belgrade. The friction reached its highest point in 1999, when NATO bombed the then Serb-dominated Federal Republic of Yugoslavia to end the violence in Kosovo.
Kosovo unilaterally declared independence on Feb. 17, 2008, kicking off a diplomatic dispute with Serbia. While much of the international community, including the United States, Germany and France recognized the independence of Kosovo; Russia and some EU members, such as Spain and Greece, have not recognized the new country.
Belgrade wants to join the EU, but Brussels demands that Serbia first normalize relations with Kosovo. In recent weeks, both countries have been holding talks and the main objective of these negotiations is to improve the political situation in northern Kosovo, home to a significant portion of ethnic Serbs. Furthermore, Serbian authorities have recently discussed EU accession with officials in Germany and France.
But Serbia's EU accession faces numerous obstacles. First, the independence of Kosovo is a sensitive issue in Serbia. The political elites in Belgrade are seeking a balance between moving forward with negotiations to satisfy the European Union and the nationalist claim that Serbia will never recognize Kosovo.
Second, Serbia and Kosovo are not the only players involved. The Serbs in northern Kosovo refuse to accept the independence of Kosovo, and violent episodes between ethnic Albanians and Serbian groups in Kosovo are frequent.
Finally, even if the European Union agrees to give Serbia a specific date for the start of formal negotiations, it doesn't mean that EU accession is granted. On top of concerns about the status of Kosovo, the EU is also worried about the institutional transparency of Serbia and the presence of organized crime in the country. Moreover, the opening of formal negotiations does not guarantee access to the EU, as negotiations can linger for years, with Turkey being the main example.
Serbia knows that its accession talks with the European Union will be a lengthy process, and therefore it does not have to make major concessions over Kosovo now. In the meantime, Belgrade is interested in maintaining negotiations with the European Union to normalize relations with the West and keep the prospect of EU membership alive. In this context, Serbia will make gestures of goodwill toward Kosovo, but real progress in its recognition seems unlikely in the short term.
