Borrell points out when Kosovo dialogue resumes Serbia

European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell signals that political dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia will start soon.

In an interview for REL, Borrell says Kosovo now has new government and that it expects dialogue to begin.

Kosovo's “government was formed a week ago. Kosovars have not had governments and have not been able to start negotiations, but now they have government”, Borrell says.

The chief of European diplomacy says he would probably not mediate dialogue between Pristina and Belgrade and that the EU would have to appoint a special envoy. Asked whether Slovak Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajcak will be in this position, Borrell says someone with knowledge of the region should take this task.

It doesn't matter who it is, but I think we need someone who knows the region, who is an experienced diplomat and who has the will to engage because you know this job requires 25 hours a day, every day. You can't work for a week and go do something else”, says Borrell.

The White House has named Ambassador Richard Green as sent to dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia. According to Borrell, the US should ask why it is involved in this process, as according to him, the EU greatly assists Kosovo with financial resources.

The chief of EU diplomacy says the union will help Kosovo and Serbia in the negotiation process, but he says it is left to the parties to work towards reaching an agreement.

“Dialogue must be among them. We will not dictate, they must dialogue among themselves, so that they can reach agreement between them. We can help you, we can accompany, we can create incentives, but we cannot take the role of neither Serbs nor Kosovo. It's something that needs to be done by them”, Borrell says.

Dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia, with the European Union's mediation started in 2011. Talks were interrupted at the end of 2018, after the Kosovo government imposed a 100 per cent tax on products from Serbia.

The EU and the United States have also demanded that Kosovo remove the tax in order to start dialogue.

The new Kosovo government, led by Albin Kurti, has said the 100 per cent tax will be lifted and replaced with the reciprocity measure.

Recently, the White House's envoy for Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, Richard Green, has asked Kosovo to lift the tax, but without imposing reciprocity and on the other side, has called on Serbia to stop the campaign for recognition of Kosovo's independence.