Austrian diplomat, former international peace envoy in Bosnia and Herzegovina Wolfgang Petritsch said in an interview with Radio Free Europe (RSE) that the overall accession process to the European Union should be combined for all six countries of the Western Balkans, with a special dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina. Pročitaj više

Petritsch emphasised two important things for next year. Number one for 2024, he said, is security, and he believes that the international troops in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo should be strengthened, because they have the task of preventing armed incidents like the one in Banjska.

Second, he added, 2024 should be used to work hard on proposals, due to the leadership vacuum in the US and the EU, where elections are being held.

He also believes that Kosovo should offer a fair proposal and a solution that Serbs and Albanians could live with.

“The government must do it, go an extra mile, do everything to improve the situation, because it is Kosovo, its statehood, sovereignty, and the sooner the problem is resolved, the faster Kosovo will move towards the EU institutions,” said Petritsch.