The pivot of Spain, Greece, Cyprus, Slovakia and Romania towards the independence of Kosovo is being seen in Washington and Brussels as the key that will open the doors of the European Union and the NATO for Priština. And according to those Western centers of power, Serbia holds the key for the change in those countries’ position, because it is their opinion that if Belgrade were to indirectly or directly recognize the southern Serbian province, then there would be no reason for the five European countries to not follow suit.

The “shuttle-diplomacy” led by the European Union’s Special Representative for Dialogue Miroslav Lajčák and the Emissary for the Western Balkans Gabriel Escobar, who have visited Priština and Belgrade, is clearly within the scope of the action to maximize the speed of resolving the Kosovo* issue and “push” Priština into international organizations.

It was precisely Escobar who openly said that membership in the European Union and the NATO is of the utmost importance for Priština, and in that context he pointed out the significant positions of the above mentioned five member countries of the European Union. He said that it would be very difficult for Kosovo to become a member of the Alliance without their backing, given that decisions in the Alliance are made by consensus. He also confirmed that reaching an agreement between Priština and Belgrade was “a matter of weeks, rather than years”, as well as that the United States of America support Germany and France’s proposal for dialogue, which in its basis provides that Serbia would not formally recognize Kosovo, but it would not oppose Priština’s membership in the United Nations.

Escobar has met with President Aleksandar Vučić this week, and they discussed the possibilities for continuing dialogue and finding sustainable solutions.

Vučić has again reiterated Serbia’s full commitment for continuing the dialogue process and resolving open issues between Belgrade and Priština, with an emphasis on the full implementation of the agreements that have already been signed in Brussels and respecting the international law.

The American diplomat also spoke with the director of the Office for Kosovo And Metohija Petar Petković, who relayed to him the insistence of Belgrade to implement the agreement about establishing the Association of Serbian Municipalities. They also discussed the issues of energy and licence plates.

During his visit to Priština, Escobar requested that the deadline of October 31, which was set by the Albanian side as the deadline to start implementing the re-registration, be pushed back ten months. He also pointed out that this was not only a request from the United States of America, but from the entire Quint (the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Italy).

Former Ambassador Zoran Milivojević said to Novosti that it was obvious that one of the key interests of the West in rounding up the independence of Kosovo was for the five European Union countries to recognize Priština, four of whom are also members of the NATO.

“The pressure on those countries is now increasing as the West is speeding up its attempts to resolve the Kosovo issue as soon as possible. The rush also stems from the conflict between Russia and Ukraine and the problems and consequences that the war is causing in the European Union, starting from the rioting in France to the turn in the political climate in many countries. All of that is putting pressure on the West, and then the West transfers the pressure on us to resolve the Kosovo issue. I do not expect that the five members of the European Union will change their position, due to the problems they are having on their own territories. Maybe there would be some change if Serbia would change its own position, but there is no chance of us recognizing the independence of the southern province,” said Milivojević.

Milivojević also called back to the recent visit of the Prime Minister of Spain to the region, during which he purposefully avoided Priština, whereas he sent a clear message from Belgrade about respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Serbia.

According to Milivojević, since the outbreak of the conflict in Ukraine, the international law is regaining its significance again, and the countries which have not recognized Kosovo* have additional arguments to stay on those lines.