My visit to Kosovo is taking place at a very crucial and challenging juncture for Kosovo and the whole region, our common neighborhood. I am here, first and foremost, to underline the importance placed by Greece in Kosovo's European perspective.
Recent incidents have heightened tensions, underscoring how imperative it is to exercise composure and strive for reconciliation and understanding – the cornerstones of peace and stability. Yet other recent developments allow for some optimism: the agreements reached in Brussels in the Belgrade-Pristina talks -- which Greece adamantly supports -- especially those pertaining to customs stamps and cadastral records. These agreements stand to improve the living conditions of the people of both sides, and are a solid step in the direction of the European integration of this region.
The integration of the Western Balkans into the EU is the foundation of Greece’s policy and vision for this region. As a longstanding member of the EU, NATO and other Euroatlantic institutions, Greece pursues the consolidation of stability, security and development in the region through the establishment of good neighbourly relations and respect for the fundamental principles of international law and order – as they are set down in the UN Charter – as well as through the full incorporation of our region into the European and Euroatlantic institutions.
It is in this context that we launched our “Agenda 2014” initiative. By 2014, we want to ensure that the Western Balkans are well on their way to the European Union, and “Agenda 2014” is aimed precisely at revitalizing the Western Balkans’ European perspective. This perspective, to be sure, lost some of its impetus due to "enlargement fatigue" in the EU, coupled with a loss of focus in the countries of the Western Balkans. And this loss of focus resulted from the lack of a specific time horizon for EU membership and, in some cases, from opportunism and political expediency in domestic affairs. Our initiative aims at addressing and reversing both of these disturbing trends at once.
As part of “Agenda 2014”, Greece proposes to convene an EU-Western Balkans Summit – a “Thessaloniki II” – during its EU presidency in 2014. Our objective is for this Summit to adopt a political declaration that sets a specific, ambitious and realistic target date for completion of the accession processes of the Western Balkan countries. While recognizing that each country will be judged on its own merits, this target date will be a new catalyst for change and progress for all. It will be an incentive for reforms and a benchmark for assessment of governments in the region. It will be Europe’s vital commitment to Western Balkan membership in the European family.
Where does Kosovo fit in this Agenda? The answer to this question is self-evident: Kosovo’s future lies in the European family. All 27 EU member states are committed to Kosovo’s European future and are investing heavily in it, providing assistance and support for your efforts to adopt and implement all the reforms required. Kosovo, too, needs to persevere in its efforts to adopt measures and policies that will ensure its European future. It is extremely important to bear in mind that these reforms will bring immediate improvements in every aspect of citizens’ lives.
Working for a European future means cooperating with EU institutions, in particular those present in Kosovo. And this means that it is impossible to exaggerate the importance of Kosovo’s optimum cooperation with EULEX: Europe means first and foremost the establishment of the rule of law.
Respect for and protection of all religious and ethnic communities in Kosovo – especially minority communities -- is vital within the European context. And here, Greece joins its EU partners and the international community as a whole in attaching particular importance to the protection of the religious and cultural heritage of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Kosovo
The people of Kosovo can count on Greece as a friend and supportive neighbor. While respecting the sensitivities of all sides with regard to Kosovo, we follow a policy that facilitates the development of friendly relations and cooperation between our peoples. A salient example of this is our visa policy: we have been issuing visas to holders of Kosovo passports from very early on.
This policy is designed to promote people-to-people contacts. We encourage your visits to Greece – for tourism, for business, for education. We also encourage Greeks to visit Kosovo, especially those who want to do business and make investments here, which create jobs and prosperity for the people of Kosovo.
September 9, 2011