International Analysts Name Kosovo Loss Arrest Marko Djuriqi

The arrest of Serbian government office chief for Kosovo Marko Djurovic last month has further exacerbated relations between Pristina and Belgrade, stressing the need to address the biggest issues in dialogue between the two countries, says Balkan Affairs expert at Johns Hopkins University, Edward Joseph.

“is another example of the need for the European Union to work with the United States, so that it does not rely solely on technical dialogue, but to address the comprehensive political question of relations between Kosovo and Serbia”.

While analyst Ross Johnson from the Wilson Centre sharply criticised Kosovo for arresting the Serbian official in the northern part of the country, reports Voice of America.

“This was an extremely thick move of the Kosovo government. They must find the responsibilities of this action. The United States, the State Department, has criticised the move. This is not the right mode of action”.

Johnson said Kosovo has lost more of this event and that finding a peaceful solution with Serbia is in Pristina's interest.

Despite objections to the Serbian office chief in Kosovo, he should be allowed to go to Kosovo. If he did not ask for regular permission this time, he should be allowed to enter anyway and then be asked to follow the rules next time. What has happened is not useful. I think that to improve things on this issue, the Kosovo government should do more than Serbia's”.

Analyst Edward Joseph agrees that Pristina and Belgrade should work harder to resolve disputes between them, but he also stressed the need for dialogue to focus more on the two countries' progress in the process of integration into the European Union.

The “is very clear, as I have said following Oliver Ivanovic's assassination, that this process is facing political realities, and the main question is how Kosovo and Serbia can advance towards the European Union”, says Joseph.

Belgrade continues to oppose Kosovo's independence, but is involved in a process of talks in exchange for approaching the European Union, which conditions its membership with a comprehensive agreement on normalising relations.

The Serbian official Marko Djurovic's arrest and deportation by Kosovo police was the reason for the Serbian List's exit from the Kosovo government. This has left the country with minority governments.