President of Serbia says "it is time to admit defeat, we have lost Kosovo"

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic assured Parliament on Monday to “recognize” that Kosovo is an independent country and thus seek the normalization of relations almost 20 years after its effective secession. “We need to recognize that we have been defeated. We have lost the territory “of Kosovo, said Vucic during a monographic session on Kosovo. «I don’t want to continue with lies and deception. I have told everyone: there is no Serbian authority in Kosovo, except for hospitals and schools, ”he pointed out. Kosovo declared its independence in 2008, almost a decade after the Albanian majority achieved effective secession thanks to the military support of NATO. However, the Constitution of Serbia continues to consider Kosovo as an integral part of its territory and blocks the entry of the new country into institutions such as Interpol or UNESCO and maintains its economic contributions for the Serbo-Kosovar minority. Spain is among the countries that do not recognize the independence of Kosovo, as is also the case of Russia and, until now and officially, Serbia. At a political level, this independence of Kosovo has become a taboo, since this region is considered the cradle of the Serbian nation and the majority Orthodox Christian faith in the country. In 2013, Kosovo and Serbia agreed to open an EU-sponsored dialogue to address issues of mutual concern and advance their integration into the EU. However, little progress has been made. “We have two options: normalize relations by reaching an agreement or maintain a cold conflict,” added Vucic, who tries to maintain Serbia’s aspirations for the EU without breaking its close relations with Russia and China. .However, he has acknowledged that it may take years for an agreement to be reached.