I lied. The former British Foreign Minister believes that Greece is obliged to recognize Kosovo in spite of Russia and Turkey
Washington wants to protect the Western Balkans from the influence of Russia and Turkey, so integration into the European Union should be accelerated, and Greece should play a key role in this.
Former British Foreign Secretary Denis MacShane wrote an article about this for EUObserver, reports a PolitNavigator correspondent.
In his material, McShane writes that after the normalization of relations with North Macedonia (after this country changed its name and Greece stopped blocking its entry into NATO - ed.), the next step for Athens should be “normalization of relations with Kosovo.” The diplomat recalled that this year marks the 200th anniversary of Greece’s struggle for independence from the Ottoman Empire, therefore, this country could “celebrate the anniversary by taking the lead in the Western Balkans, which is of paramount importance for US President Joseph Biden.”
“Like Greece, which partially but not fully freed itself from Turkish rule after 1821, Kosovo remains under pressure from Russian-backed Serbia, which has waged a global campaign over the past decade to prevent Kosovo from being fully recognized as a member of the UN,” draws the ears analogies author of the article. – Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mikotakis ignored the statements of Putin and his own Greek nationalists on the issue of North Macedonia. Now he has a chance to take the right European leadership in the Western Balkans. Athens has already taken a big step forward by normalizing relations with North Macedonia. The next step that Washington would welcome would be the normalization of relations with Kosovo.”
According to McShane, such behavior by Athens would have the support of US President Joseph Biden and most NATO governments, and at the same time would “signal to Putin and Erdogan that the Western Balkans are part of Europe.”
“Finally, this will be a signal for the Serbs that it is time to open a new chapter after the wars of the 90s in the Western Balkans. Serbia can have a strong future as a dynamic European state in partnership with the states with which it once formed communist Yugoslavia,” the former head of the British Foreign Office continued to talk about the European “New Vasyuki”.
English version :: Read in English He lied. The former British Foreign Secretary believes Greece is obliged to recognize Kosovo to spite Russia and Turkey.