Lajcak: Co-operation with the US important for a Kosovo- Serbia

The European Union's special envoy for talks between Kosovo and Serbia hopes for better co-ordination between Brussels and Washington regarding the Balkans, with the new US administration coming to power.

With the election of a new president and administration, we expect to return to the very best position of closer possible co-operation with our US partners. A. for the better of countries and peoples of the region”, Miroslav Lajcak said in a virtual discussion organised by the Johns Hopkins University International Advanced Studies School.

He said this co-operation is very important for achieving normalisation between Kosovo and Serbia, and that there are questions so far in the region regarding what appeared to be different positions from the EU and the United States.

Trump had urged the two sides for a solution to be realised through co-operation and economic development. The meeting with President Trump at the White House in September was the highest-level both sides have ever had in Washington, but analysts noted he seemed co-ordinated with the European Union.

President-elect Joe Biden has expressed a more traditional diplomatic stance on the two countries.

Lajcak said an agreement between Kosovo and Serbia would undoubtedly contribute to the stabilisation of the region “because first there are Serbs and Albanians living in any country in the region, and secondly, of course any model to implement in this bilateral dialogue, it could be of interest to its neighbours”.

He said any agreement that can be reached between the parties should be based on European principles and values, because in addition to normalising relations, the equally important goal is to draw Kosovo and Serbia closer to the European Union”.

Lajcak said his optimism of a possible deal rests on the commitment of both sides and the benefits it would bring.

For both Serbia and Kosovo, dialogue is the key to the future of the European Union. There is no alternative but dialogue, so this means that they both want the future in the EU and therefore know that this can only be achieved through dialogue”.

The EU's special envoy for the talks acknowledged that both sides otherwise interpret normalisation with Kosovo, which has made it clear that it wants full recognition and Serbia asking what it will get in return.

The “is not easy because it is about citizenship issues, identity and no one wants to appear a loser, but our interest is not to have a winner and a loser. Our interest is that all gain in this process”.

However, he makes clear that he disagrees with philosophy that whatever the parties agree on, “we must accept because we (BE) are also the defender of European values”.

“We need to make sure that the final outcome will draw them closer to the European Union, rather than leading them further away from membership in the European Union and that the final product, the final agreement will be acceptable to EU member states and also to the countries of the region”.

An alternative that would not meet these parameters was the idea of exchanging territories, reports Voice of America, broadcasts the Kosovo Clan.

“We are here to be part of a European solution, a solution for the 21st century, not the solution based on the 19th century”.

But he added that at the same time mediators cannot want the agreement more than the parties want, and that the parties should want normalisation for it to be achieved, and he thinks that at this moment both sides want it.