North Macedonia’s President Stevo Pendarovski and Pristina’s former negotiator with Belgrade Edita Tahiri warned on Wednesday against changes to the borders in the region.

In his first address to parliament, President Pendarovski said that changes to borders in the Balkans would “certainly takes us back to the early 1990s, cause tensions and most probably new conflicts”. He added that he told the President of Serbia and Prime Minister of Kosovo about that view, adding that “a solution to Kosovo’s international status should contribute to and reinforce regional stability and security”.  

Tahiri told a news conference in Pristina that war could erupt if Serbia does not recognize Kosovo as an independent state within its current borders. She said that the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue did not break off because of the 100 percent tariffs imposed on Serbian goods but because “the state of Kosovo was in danger”.