After Spain - Slovakia reacts over "state" of Kosovo

Slovakia is in favor of organizing the upcoming EU-Balkans summit in Bulgaria in the so-called Gymnich format - i.e., without displaying flags or state symbols.

Previously, Spain pushed back against its top officials attending the gathering and lending their names to the summit's documents as equals to Pristina's representatives.

On Thursday, Tanjug reported Bratislava's stance, citing State Secretary in the Slovak Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs Ivan Korcok, who spoke for Belgrade-based daily Vecernje Novosti.

"This is how we behaved several times in the past, and we implemented this also during our EU presidency," said Korcok, who acts as his country's foreign minister during Miroslav Lajcak's term as president of the UN General Assembly.

Along with Cyprus, Greece, Spain, and Romania, Slovakia is one of five EU member-states that have not recognized the unilateral declaration of Kosovo's independence, made a decade ago.

Korcok, who will be in Sofia for the summit along with Slovakia's prime minister, stressed that his country has many times in the past "clearly defined" its stance toward Kosovo.

"Slovakia's position on the unilaterally declared independence of Kosovo is not changing, and we have mentioned it already countless times, including during my recent visit to Belgrade," Korcok said.

Asked whether - after the French president's announcement that Western Balkans countries will not be able to join the EU before the EU reforms - "the plan" to allow Serbia to join the organization by 2025 was "being delayed" - the Slovak official replied by saying that "EU's reforms and enlargement processes are parallel."

"The Western Balkan states must meet all the conditions and achieve a sufficient level of progress to close all (EU accession negotiations) chapters. These are the key and only conditions for membership in the EU," Korcok said.

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