BRUSSELS – “Spain will not boycott the EU-Western Balkans Summit in Zagreb”, it was confirmed today for EWB in a written response from the Permanent Representation of Spain to the European Union.
The Permanent Representation of Spain to the EU stressed that the Spanish delegation will be present at the Zagreb Summit as an EU Member State. “Depending on the configuration of the Summit, Spain will be present by a level of representation or another”, it is stated in the response.
Ahead of the previous EU-Western Balkans Summit that took place in Sofia in 2018, Spain insisted that Kosovo’s participation in the Summit was unacceptable. The Spanish Prime Minister at the time Mariano Rajoy attended the Summit in Sofia, but would not participate as he refused to sit at the same table with the president of Kosovo.
“Spain will maintain its stable position throughout the time of non-recognition of Kosovo as a State, a position shared with 4 other Member States and 80 other countries in different regions in the world and in accordance with international law and the UN system”, concludes the response of the Permanent Representation of Spain to the EU.
On January 29, Radio Free Europe’s Balkan Service published that Spain “threatens to boycott Zagreb Summit over Kosovo’s presence”, obtained from “reliable sources in Madrid, Zagreb, and Brussels”. The information was picked up by several major outlets, including the public broadcaster Radio and Television of Serbia.