Resolving Kosovo–Serbia Dispute Will ‘Stabilise Balkans’

Speaking about the now stalled EU-led Kosovo-Serbia dialogue on the normalisation of relations - progress in which is vital to their respective integration processes - Kapitanovic said both parties should return to the negotiating table.

"It is always good to meet and talk, and sit at the same table, especially after couple of months [of blockage]. I think their intent is important, to move the dialogue on. Expectations and results usually rise with the number and the intensity of talks. It is difficult to solve complex issues at once, so it takes time," Kapitanovic said.

"Without dialogue there is no solution and cannot be solution. That's why we have supported it and, for us, the prosperity of the region is of utmost importance," she added.

Croatia opens doors to Kosovo's unemployed:

Marija Kapitanovic. Photo: BIRN

Croatia's embassy in Kosovo has become busier this year after the authorities in Zagreb i 2018 agreed to allow in thousands of Kosovars to work in the booming tourist sector.

The Croatian government said it would give work permits to more than 65,000 foreigners to work in tourism, construction and hospitality.

The ambassador noted that tourism in Croatia had increased again in 2018, when the country notched up a record 18.7 million visitors.

Carpenters, waiters, chefs and other tourist sector jobs are the vacant posts that most often need filling during the height of the season.

In Pristina, Kapitanovic has witnessed the sharp increase in work permit applications.

"Since the beginning of the year there have been more than 2,000 visa applications," she said.

"This is a substantial increase because since the beginning of 2018 we have had 3,300 applications in all,...