Greece President hints at recognition of Kosovo
Greek President, Karolos Papoulias, during his visit to Austria stated that his "country is doing positive small and diligent steps in the direction towards recognizing Kosovo independence," Austrian and Greek media report.
Regarding the issues in the Western Balkans, Papoulias stressed that during the meeting with his Austrian counterpart, they both strongly agreed to continue supporting the integration of this region in the European family.
"We have given a promise to integrate all of them and it is important to save our credibility by keeping the promise," said Papoulias.
Regarding the European Mission in Kosovo, he reiterated the Greece determination to participate in implementing this mission, explaining that "Greece follows very closely the situation in Kosovo which it considers a very sensitive issue for Europe."
Greece remains one of the few European countries still in process of deciding the recognition of independence of Kosovo. However, this is the first time that a high Greek official confirms clearly Greece's positive signals in the direction of recognizing the Republic of Kosovo.
Until know, the official position of Greece regarding the recognition of independence of Kosovo has been positively neutral, while actively supporting the deployment of the European Mission in Kosovo and participating in the NATO security forces.
New Kosova Report - Greece President hints at recognition of Kosovo