Germany wants “improvement of relations, not recognition”

BELGRADE German Ambassador to Serbia Heinz Wilhelm says that Germany is not asking Serbia to recognize Kosovo’s independence but to “normalize relations with Pristina”. “This means to establish good neighborly relations between Serbia and Kosovo,” he said. Germany wants “improvement of relations, not recognition” “Normalization means that Serbia and Kosovo should have good neighborly relations, just like all other countries,” Wilhelm told Radio Television of Serbia (RTS). He noted that the signing of an agreement on normalization of relations between Belgrade and Pristina was not Germany’s condition for a date for the beginning of the EU accession talks. “It has been misinterpreted that Germany will request that the agreement on the normalization be implemented before the accession talks begin. It has not been decided yet what should happen before the beginning of the negotiations but the idea is certainly not that the agreement should happen before they start,” the ambassador explained. Commenting on statements of certain German politicians that it should be requested from Serbia to recognize Kosovo and sign the agreement on good neighborly relations, he said that “there have been misinterpretations and misunderstandings” because nobody, in Germany or in the EU, spoke about the recognition of the independence but only about normalization of relations between Belgrade and Pristina, “which means establishement of good neighborly relations. The German ambassador added that it had been misinterpreted that Germany was asking Serbia to recognize Kosovo in order to open the EU door. When asked what “good neighborly relations” meant for Germany, Wilhelm said that his country “wants reality”. “We have raised the question of the so-called parallel structures in northern Kosovo. It is not good for Serbia to have parallel structures there. The Ahtisaari plan gives great autonomy to northern Kosovo but it is not good for Serbia to have parallel structures there in schools, municipalities and police. This is one of our conditions, that those structures are abolished, step by step,” he explained. When asked if the German elections could postpone the decision on a date for the beginning of Serbia’s accession talks, the ambassador stated that there was an “enlargement fatigue” in Germany and in the entire Europe. “You do not think about new things in the middle of the crisis, you consolidate what you have. Still, there is a wide consensus, not only in Germany, that the process of the EU completion is not over until Serbia joins. That’s why I don’t think that there will be serious obstacles to get the date,” Wilhelm concluded. Heinz Wilhelm Beta RTS

Germany wants “improvement of relations, not recognition”

“Normalization means that Serbia and Kosovo should have good neighborly relations, just like all other countries,” Wilhelm told Radio Television of Serbia (RTS).

He noted that the signing of an agreement on normalization of relations between Belgrade and Priština was not Germany’s condition for a date for the beginning of the EU accession talks.

“It has been misinterpreted that Germany will request that the agreement on the normalization be implemented before the accession talks begin. It has not been decided yet what should happen before the beginning of the negotiations but the idea is certainly not that the agreement should happen before they start,” the ambassador explained.

Commenting on statements of certain German politicians that it should be requested from Serbia to recognize Kosovo and sign the agreement on good neighborly relations, he said that “there have been misinterpretations and misunderstandings” because nobody, in Germany or in the EU, spoke about the recognition of the independence but only about normalization of relations between Belgrade and Priština, “which means establishement of good neighborly relations.

The German ambassador added that it had been misinterpreted that Germany was asking Serbia to recognize Kosovo in order to open the EU door.

When asked what “good neighborly relations” meant for Germany, Wilhelm said that his country “wants reality”.

“We have raised the question of the so-called parallel structures in northern Kosovo. It is not good for Serbia to have parallel structures there. The Ahtisaari plan gives great autonomy to northern Kosovo but it is not good for Serbia to have parallel structures there in schools, municipalities and police. This is one of our conditions, that those structures are abolished, step by step,” he explained.

When asked if the German elections could postpone the decision on a date for the beginning of Serbia’s accession talks, the ambassador stated that there was an “enlargement fatigue” in Germany and in the entire Europe.

“You do not think about new things in the middle of the crisis, you consolidate what you have. Still, there is a wide consensus, not only in Germany, that the process of the EU completion is not over until Serbia joins. That’s why I don’t think that there will be serious obstacles to get the date,” Wilhelm concluded.