The Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP) is continuing its monitoring and analysis of developments in Kosovo since 1995. Responding to an invitation by the Foreign Policy Club (think tank) in Pristina, a delegation visited Kosovo from 22nd to 25th of April 2010.

The delegation comprised of: Prof. Thanos Veremis, Vice-President of ELIAMEP, Dr. Evangelos Kofos and Ambassador (Ret.) Alexandros Mallias, Special Advisors to ELIAMEP, Dr. Jens Bastian, Senior Research Fellow at ELIAMEP, Ms Elizabeth Phocas, Deputy Director, ELIAMEP and Dr. Yannis Armakolas, Researcher, Hellenic Center for European Studies (EKEM). Other participants included the journalists Filios Stagkos, NET, Stavros Tzimas, Kathimerini, Sophia Papadopoulou, Athens News Agency, Katerina Oikonomakou, Eleftherotypia and Apostolos Fotiadis correspondent of Inter Press Service in Belgrade.

During their visit to Kosovo, they had meetings with representatives from politics, civil society and the media. Among them the President, Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister of the “Republic of Kosovo”, Mr. Fatmir Sejdiu, Mr. Hashim Thaci  and Mr. Skender Hysani, and the Leader of the opposition Mr. Ramush Haradinaj. In addition, the delegation held meetings with leaders of the Bosniak, Turk and Roma communities. They also met with Father Savva at the historical Decani Monastery to discuss the protection of the Serbian Orthodox Monastic Community in Kosovo. The protection of historical monasteries is based on a proposal that ELIAMEP had advanced in 2005. Finally, they participated in a conference on “Kosovo and the EU: Views from Athens”. Due to the extraordinary participation of the Greek delegation in a TV discussion in Ohrid it was not possible for them to meet with representatives of the Serb community as well.

In the fall of 2010, a delegation from Kosovo will visit Athens.

Additional information:

(a) Working Paper on Solutions proposed by a Greek Think-Tank for the Kosovo Conundrum

(b) Reference to the visit of ELIAMEP delegation in Kosovo in the newspaper ‘EXPRESS’ (in Greek)

(c) Reference to the visit of ELIAMEP delegation in Kosovo in the newspaper ‘Kathimerini’ (in Greek)

(d) On-camera interview with Khaldoun Sinno, Head of Political, Economic and EU Integration Section, Kosovo

(e) On-camera interview with Veton Surroi, Chairman of the Foreign Policy Club of Kosovo

(f) On-camera interview with Hashim Thaci, Prime Minister of  the ” Republic of  Kosovo”