PRINT EDITION. Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic’s visit to Athens took place against the backdrop of deteriorating Kosovo-Serbian relations following the mass resignation of the Kosovo Serb minority and the increased combat readiness of the Serbian army and NATO peacekeeping force KFOR.

Greece, which actively participates in KFOR, occupies an important position as an intermediary between the two sides. Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias has also visited Belgrade four times since 2019, as well as Pristina several times (tentatively in October 2020, June 2021 and June 2022). Moreover, during the Minister’s time, the Greek Office of Trade and Economic Affairs in Kosovo was also transformed into an Office of Interests, which gave it a political dimension.

“Regarding the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, Greece supports reaching a political compromise solution in accordance with international law and UN Security Council resolutions,” Mr. Dendias said after meeting with Mr. Dacic, adding that “in order to achieve progress, any unilateral the decision must be taken within an agreed framework of dialogue. And steps should be avoided that could jeopardize the very fragile balance reached.”

Greece remains one of five EU countries that have not recognized Kosovo as an independent state. Of course, the Turkish occupation of Cyprus remains an important factor in this denial, as it does for Cyprus.

“I would like to thank you for the very clear language you used in your interview with K today and for your strong support for the territorial integrity of Greece and Cyprus at sea, in the air and on land,” Mr. Dendias. focus on this topic. Apart from the strong historical ties between Greece and Serbia, which Mr. Dendias also highlighted, Greece remained neutral in the wars that followed the breakup of Yugoslavia in the 1990s, allowing the country to act as an effective mediator between Belgrade and Pristina.

In addition, the role of Greece in the Western Balkans was enhanced after the Prespa Agreement. As the oldest member of both the European Union and NATO in the region, it plays an important role in integrating the region into these multinational schemes, which is also confirmed by Greece’s participation in the recent Berlin Summit on the Western Balkans. A role that is also a response to the hegemony claimed by Turkey in the region.