Serbian President should at least lay a wreath in Batajnica, where bodies of hundreds of Kosovo Albanians were found, says Osmani

English

Gazeta Express

22/06/2021 14:27

Kosovo President, Vjosa Osmani, in a joint press conference with her Austrian counterpart, Alexander Van der Bellen, spoke about the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue. She said that Serbia has waged a terrible war in Kosovo and no justice has been done. She added that for these crimes there is no apology, justice or remorse on the part of Serbia.

“I call on (Serbian President Aleksandar) Vucic to at least lay a wreath in Batajnica, the mass grave where the bodies of hundreds of women and young children that were killed during the war in Kosovo, were found,” she said.

“History has shown that whenever there has been war, the precondition for lasting peace has been the establishment of justice. That is why we demand justice; we demand that the remains of the missing persons be returned. We will insist on justice during the process. For us, the solution is mutual recognition, because it is necessary. No other solution would bring peace. The EU must be clear with Serbia that it cannot play two cards with both Russia and the EU, but to choose which is its true path. The moment the EU is clear with Serbia – also in terms of eliminating Russian influence and recognizing Kosovo – then there will be a solution,” she said.

According to Osmani, the dialogue table is to resolve issues such as the missing persons, to eliminate trade barriers “but mutual recognition is the final solution.” Osmani said that the dialogue was never about the status of Kosovo, and that those who benefit from this process should be the citizens.

Meanwhile, Van der Bellen wrote on Twitter; “Austria has always been a strong supporter of Kosovo, even dating back to before independence. President Osmani, rest assured that Austria will continue its support. I am convinced that the future of Kosovo – and the whole region – is within the European Union. For Austria there is no doubt: The future of all states of the Western Balkans lies in the EU, without these the European unification will not be complete. The permanent stability in this area is therefore of great strategic interest for the EU. /GazetaExpress/