Boris Ruge, ambassador of Germany and deputy Minister of Munich Security Conference says that the statement made by the President of Serbia regarding the possibility of conflict erupting in the Balkans, similar to that in the region of Nagorno-Karabakh is dangerous a rhetoric that creates tension.

In an exclusive interview for KosovaPress, Ambassador Ruge said that President Vucic is in a situation where he can ensure no conflict erupts, as he does not see any means by which Kosovo could provoke conflict between the two countries. Ambassador Ruge also talked about the expectations the European Union has with regards to the administration of the future American President, Joe Biden, as well as the joint efforts in normalizing the relations between Kosovo and Serbia. Ambassador Ruge views the cooperation between the US and the EU as vital in decreasing Russia’s influence in the Balkans, as he says the latter has not been constructive in the European perspective processes of Kosovo and Serbia. Interviewed by: Elsa Kelmendi KosovaPress: Now, Mr. Ambassador, we have recently witnessed a decline in the relations between the United States and the European Union. In your opinion, are we to expect a revival of these relations? That is, a comeback of the values and the years-long established forms of cooperation between the two? Ambassador Ruge: I think so. Yes. So, obviously, Joe Biden is the President-elect. He is someone we know well in Europe, and the big difference between President Trump and President-elect Biden is that President Trump saw Europe as a bit of a rival to the United States of America, whereas Joe Biden emphasizes that Europe is a very close partner of the United States, and that he wants to reach out to the European Union and its member states,countrieslike Germany, and work together with those actors in Europe to tackle the big issues that are ahead of us. KosovaPress: Thank you! To this day there are no signs that the newly-formed Biden administration will give up the goal to normalize the situation between Kosovo and Serbia, which was an initiative of the Trump administration. Nonetheless, on the other hand, the European Union has not yet shown any inclination to support these processes. What do you presume will happen now? Ambassador Ruge: So basically, we have two tracks and to some extent they were goingparallel, because as you know the European Union has been involved in this effort to bring Kosovo and Serbia together and to normalize the relations. Now, I think many in Kosovo feel – and perhaps in Serbia as well – that the European Union didn’t do such a great job, that it was too slow and it didn’t deliver on certain things. Maybe so. My experience in the Western Balkans, which goes back quite a few years at this point, is that things only ever work if the United States and the European Union work together very closely. So, that’s what we need. What we do not need is two separate tracks, with insufficient coordination. And I fully expect the US to come back, to coordinate closely with us, and I think Joe Biden has talked about exactly that. KosovaPress: Now, the US President-elect, Joe Biden, is closely connected to the developments in the Balkans, and in July of this year, the President criticized the Trump administration for – if I may quote – “failing to coordinate with European envoys”, who have mediated the dialogue between Serbia and Kosovo in an attempt to reach a final agreement, which would be the mutual recognition between the two countries. This must also be the goal of the Biden administration. However, where does Germany stand on the matter? Ambassador Ruge: So, basically, this is exactly the point. What you want to do is you want to bring the United States and the European Union together. And it’s great to see that Joe Biden who has so much experience in foreign affairs, and who knows the Western Balkans, that he is talking about this already now and that he’s been talking about this kind of thing for months basically. So, we are ready to work very closely with the Biden administration on the Western Balkans, including all the dialogue between Pristina and Belgrade. For us in Europe, it’s a strategic question, having stability and moving to a situation that is more normal between Serbia and Kosovo, is very important to us. After the United States of America it’s also a legacy if you will, because after all the United States has invested so much in Kosovo and in the stateof Kosovo, and so I think, basically, the US will be looking to Brussels and to Europe to carry much of the burden. But, I think, they will be there as an active player and fully coordinated with the European Union. So, I think that’s a pretty good starting point. KosovaPress: Do you believe that Kosovo and Serbia will reach an agreement in the following four years of the Biden administration? Ambassador Ruge: That’s a good question! You know, I’m obviously German, and I was born in 1962. We had something like… we had 45 years, from 1945 - the end of World War II - until the unification of Germany in 1990 where we did not have full sovereignty, where key issues of German statehood, were not within our power to decide. So, anything relating to Germany as a whole, and the issue of Berlin, was something the Germans themselves were not allowed to decide. People forget this; they think that somehow West Germany was a prosperous state and fully in charge of everything. Not true. So we lived under limited sovereignty for a long time. You know, whether you reach a full agreement, covering all issues to the satisfaction of both sides. I think that’s very ambitious; it’s something… We should be ambitious, we should work towards that. But I think the key thing is making progress, working in good faith, and addressing issues that are relevant to normal people, so they can live their lives, so they can go about their business, so economies can prosper. That’s important… to show good faith. And you know, if both sides do that, then eventually you’ll come to an agreement that covers everything. I’m not even sure if a full agreement - the end of history kind of thing - whether that’s the most important thing. The most important thing is to bring down the rhetoric, to make good progress, to help people go about their lives. KosovaPress: Thank you very much! President-elect Joe Biden has also quoted, if I may quote, “A comprehensive solution which would lead to a mutual recognition, the preservation of sovereignty, the territorial integrity of the two countries, as well as the strengthening of their democratic institutions is critical for Serbia and Kosovo to move forward. This solution would strengthen the security and prosperity of both countries and advance their aspirations for membership in the European Union and international institutions.” Since you have been in a mission in Kosovo, in the Security Sector governance, and you are well-familiarized with the situation, do you believe there are any unsolved issues that would endanger the territory of Kosovo as well as its security? Ambassador Ruge: You’re right! I served in Kosovo twice, as part of KFOR. I was part of the first KFOR headquarters in the summer of 1999 and I returned as Chief Political Advisor in 2001-2002. And that was a very different time, obviously, I don’t have to tell you that. I think that there shouldn’t be any issues that are… you know, that endanger the territorial integrity, or that could give rise to any armed conflict between the two countries. All those issues can be dealt with. If people act in good faith and if they act on the interest of people on both sides, in Serbia and in Kosovo. So, I think there’s no insurmountable issues. All of these things can be resolved. KosovaPress: Now the president of Serbia, Mr. Alexander Vucic, on November 12th of this year, he stated that if an agreement is not reached between the two countries, there is danger for more conflict. Now if the failure of negotiations really happens, and indeed conflict erupts, whose responsibility will this be? Ambassador Ruge: I think that’s very dangerous rhetoric. I think that creates a kind of tension, it sets a timeline that in some ways appears a bit unrealistic. At the end of the day, it is the government of Serbia and the government of Kosovo that control the situation. If those two governments behave in a responsible way, you know, there’s absolutely no reason that there should be any type of conflict. And President Vucic seems very much in charge of things in Serbia, whether it’s security, whether it’s having a majority parliament. You know, I see he is in a situation where he can make sure that no conflict erupts, because I don’t see anything that the Kosovo side would do as provoking armed conflict between the countries. So, I think this rhetoric is very unhelpful and dangerous. KosovaPress: Now, it is not quite publicly known Russia’s influence in the Balkans, particularly in Serbia. According to you, would a strong and close cooperation between the Biden administration as well as the European Union lessen Russia’s influence in the Balkans? Ambassador Ruge: I think that’s true. I think… the way I look at it, we should think of the interests of Kosovo and Serbia; we should think of the interests of the European Union, and of the United States. And our interest is to have stability, to have economic development and prosperity, and to bring Kosovo and Serbia closer to the European Union. That’s what we should do. And by doing that, I think, the influence of Russia will be lessened. And Russia, in the past years has not been a constructive actor, and we should not give them space to interfere in the domestic issues of Serbia or Kosovo, or to make it more difficult for those countries to come closer to the European Union. So yes, we should work closely with the United States of America, and help Kosovo and Serbia develop a more positive relationship. Absolutely. KosovaPress: Mr. Ambassador, the Special Court has filed an indictment against former KLA leaders, and among them is the now-former President, Mr. Hashim Thaci. As a result, Mr. Thaci resigned from his post as President of Kosovo, while the Kosovar public has been overcome by a feeling of - let’s say - “peaceful anger” towards this situation, and the general perception is that injustice has been done. How would you comment on this situation? Ambassador Ruge: Well, I think it’s very good that President Thaçi stepped down from his position when he was indicted from the Special Chambers. For us in Germany, the rule of law is extremely important. It’s important coming out of these conflict situations, and it’s an important issue, as you can see at the discussion inside the European Union today. We have difficult discussions right now with Poland and Hungary. There is a situation in Bulgaria that people are commenting on. So, the rule of law is extremely important; upholding legal standards is important, and political leaders are well-advised to make that a priority and to act accordingly. So, I think it’s correct that President Thaçi has stepped down and that the legal procedure will take its course. We will see how it comes out. I think it would be inappropriate for me to comment on that. KosovaPress: This would be our last question, Mr. Ambassador. Is Kosovo at risk of losing its European perspective? Ambassador Ruge: I don’t think so. I think both sides have to work. We in Europe have to be credible in terms of offering a perspective to Kosovo. That’s difficult. It’s not difficult because people don’t want to be helpful or constructive; it’s difficult because the European Union is struggling so much right now to maintain its position in the international arena, to be an actor that is credible, and every country we have as a member state increases the complexity of the decision-making in the European Union. So, I think that’s why people have mixed feelings about going farther down the road towards enlargement. But we have a strategic interest in bringing the countries of the Western Balkans into the European Union, because they are countries of Europe, we have promised them that they have the option of becoming member states of the European Union, if they live up to the standards that we have articulated. And I think we need to keep that promise, and that will support economic development and it will make the European Union stronger. But it’s a difficult challenge, it’s a bit squaring the circle these days. But, we should do our homework, and we should be credible. And on your side, the homework is to be a credible candidate for the European Union as well. And once again, the rule of law is absolutely crucial in that regard, democracy is crucial, an open society is crucial, where the media can report and exhort some level of control and allow for public debate to happen. Those are very important things as well. So, I think both sides have their work cut out. /Boris Ruge is the deputy-chairman of Munich Security Conference. He is a German diplomat who has served in various diplomatic missions representing Germany around the world, including the United States of America. Ambassador Ruge has served on a NATO peacekeeping mission in Kosovo (KFOR)./ &feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR11CEIUdZx78AH21EFKpLi1BhFZtVfpEB7HHChnSncfflRGV-wtT_DUEQM