Scholz: Serbia, Kosovo must recognize each other to join EU

By FLORENT BAJRAMI and LLAZAR SEMINI
Associated Press

PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) — German Chancellor Olaf Scholz says Serbia and Kosovo must recognize each other in order to join the European Union. The German leader, who was on a trip Friday to the Western Balkans, expressed support for quicker integration of those nations into the European Union amid the war in Ukraine. Scholz also pressed Serbia to join Western sanctions against Russia. Serbia is formally a candidate for EU membership, but it has maintained friendly ties with Russia despite the war. Russia has backed Serbia’s effort to retain a claim on Kosovo, a former province that declared independence in 2008. Serbia’s leader on Friday angrily declared “this was the first time” Serbia had heard that recognition of Kosovo was a condition to join the EU.