Von der Leyen: Belgrade, Pristina must seize moment

BRUSSELS - European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Tuesday normalisation of Belgrade-Pristina relations was of great significance and that she hoped both sides would seize the moment in the dialogue and be constructive in upcoming discussions.

Von der Leyen said this in an interview for European Newsroom, comprised of Tanjug and 16 other news agencies from the EU, the Western Balkans and Ukraine.

She said the Ukraine war had underlined the geostrategic significance of the EU enlargement process, and noted that the EU would like its Western Balkan partners to be as close to it as possible and as soon as possible.

Speaking about normalisation of Belgrade-Pristina relations, von der Leyen said there was an EU plan and that the plan was on the table.

She said she believed this was a real opportunity for both sides to seize the moment and that normalisation was of great significance and crucial for stability, security and prosperity of the region.