Haradinaj: Any redrawing of borders and exchange of territories is an invitation to new tragedies

Any redrawing of borders and exchange of territories is an invitation to new tragedies in the Balkans, said Kosovo Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj on Saturday in Dubrovnik at a time when the topic of territorial exchange between Serbia and Kosovo is being discussed, and his Croatian colleague Andrej Plenković also spoke in favor of respecting existing borders.

- Any redrawing of borders and exchange of territories is an invitation to new tragedies in the Balkans and could cause instability and undermine long-term political and security investments in peace in Kosovo and the region - said Ramush Haradinaj.

Plenković also spoke in favor of preserving existing borders.

- The messages we sent today are that borders should be respected, that any shocks that could lead to destabilization in our neighborhood are not good, and therefore we must take care that there are some fundamental principles behind which we stand, both as a state and as the international community - he said in a statement to journalists.

Official Belgrade and Pristina are leading a dialogue under the auspices of the European Union, and recently, within these negotiations, the topic of territorial exchange with predominantly Serbian or Albanian populations has become current.

During his recent visit to Berlin, Plenković said that he advocates for respect for territorial integrity and that one must be very careful with changing borders that were confirmed by the Badinter Commission in the 1990s after the breakup of the former Yugoslavia.

Official Belgrade and Serbia's Minister of Internal Affairs Nebojša Stefanović told the Croatian Prime Minister that he is not the one to determine Serbia's borders, but Plenković is not alone in defending the borders of former states, as many in Europe fear that this could open a Pandora's box of demands from other countries for border changes.