Foreign Minister Meinl-Reisinger Spoke with Colleagues from Serbia and Kosovo

"Kosovo and Serbia must engage constructively in the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue and move towards normalizing their relations," wrote Foreign Minister Meinl-Reisinger in identical posts regarding the talks with her Serbian counterpart Marko Đurić and the Kosovar chief diplomat Donika Gërvalla-Schwarz.

Foreign Minister Meinl-Reisinger: Austria "Steadfast Supporter of Kosovo and Its EU Perspective"

The support for the respective EU perspectives was more nuanced. While Meinl-Reisinger emphasized to Gërvalla-Schwarz that Austria is a "steadfast supporter of Kosovo and its EU perspective," she described Serbia's EU path as "our common goal" and underscored the support for the "necessary reforms." Serbia is an EU membership candidate, Kosovo is not. The former southern Serbian province is not recognized as an independent country by five EU states.

She also emphasized to the Serbian Foreign Minister "the importance of maintaining the rule of law" and "fostering an authentic dialogue to overcome divisions in society," Meinl-Reisinger said, alluding to the domestic tensions in the largest country of the Western Balkans. Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić views the anti-government demonstrations as an attempted coup and has drawn comparisons to the "color revolutions" in countries like Ukraine or Georgia. His government is accused of using a banned sound cannon during a mass demonstration on Saturday.

In the morning, Meinl-Reisinger welcomed her North Macedonian counterpart Timčo Mucunski as her first bilateral guest at the Foreign Ministry. On X, she also reported on phone calls with British Foreign Minister David Lammy and Jordanian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi.

(APA/Red)

This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.