Nin a conversation on the PIKę podcast with the publicist Veton Surroi, Austrian diplomat Wolfgang Petritsch stated that the idea of dividing Kosovo was initially a proposal from Belgrade, while former Kosovo President Hashim Thaçi and then-EU representative Federica Mogherini were open to it.
Petritsch, one of the key international figures in the Balkan political processes after the wars, has said that his involvement in this debate was to better understand what could be achieved through dialogue.
“It was the first time that two Balkan leaders had talked about borders peacefully. I did not believe that partition would happen, but my hope was that through this discussion they would find another way to resolve it,” Petritsch said. He stressed that his stance did not imply support for partition, but for creative and outside-the-box efforts to reach a peaceful agreement.
Petritsch said that at the time he had suggested organizing a meeting between Thaçi and Vučić at the Alpbach forum in Austria, where they shared the same stage for the first time. He denied that maps were ever laid on the table, but noted that Belgrade’s territorial expectations had been unrealistic.
“The Serbs thought they could get much more than they would give. This doesn’t work,” he added.
According to him, eventually, the idea of separation also passed into American circles, but it did not produce any concrete results.
“If Belgrade and Pristina were to reach a separation agreement, this would mean de facto recognition of Kosovo by Serbia, because there can be no international treaty without mutual recognition,” Petritsch told me.
Reflecting further, he emphasized the importance of thinking differently in politics: “Even if there is no division, why not create joint ventures across the border? That is what politics should do — seek solutions, not harden into positions.”
Wolfgang Petritsch on Point with Veton Surroin