Dialogue co-ordinator with Serbia today travels to US

After two meetings he had in Brussels at an expert level with Serbia's co-ordinator in the dialogue, Marko Djuric, Kosovo's co-ordinator for the talks, Skender Hyseni, travels to the US. According to Skender Hyseni, the United States is fully involved in this process. Brussels talks -- for what he says -- “elements of the final agreement” -- Hyseni called it difficult.

The final agreement with Serbia, according to the Kosovo side, is aimed at recognising Kosovo's independence from Serbia. At Brussels' two expert-level meetings so far, it has been talked about the unemployed and economic co-operation. At the last meeting, which was held Thursday on the 30.07th, EU's in charge of Kosovo-Serbia talks, Miroslav Lajcak, said “was an important step in the process of reaching a normalisation agreement between Pristina and Belgrade”. Lajqak wrote on Twitter that “The work will continue at the end of August”.

Hyseni: Negotiating Elements of a General Agreement

Kosovo's state co-ordinator in these talks, Skender Hyseni, said that different chapters of the comprehensive agreement have been addressed during Thursday's discussions, stressing that “will not have special agreements for each chapter, but only a legally binding deal”.

“We are negotiating elements of a general agreement, which in the end will be legally binding international agreement and should definitely result in full normalisation of Kosovo-Serbia relations, which means inevitable mutual recognition”, Skender Hyseni told reporters.

And on the other hand, Marko Guriq, who represents Serbia at these meetings, said that “does not have talks on recognising Kosovo independence”, where he said talks with the Kosovo side are the difficult “”.

EU: Agreement ready, when sides agree on all open issues

A European Union spokesman, Peter Stano, said Kosovo-Serbia talks are an open process and, according to him, reconciliation for all issues should precede a final agreement. The agreement will be made and ready for signing when both sides agree on all open issues and agree that normalisation can be brought forward in the form of the signed” agreement, spokesman Stano said.

In Kosovo, after appointing the state co-ordinator for dialogue with Serbia and its meetings in Brussels, there were debates and objections from the opposition and other political leaders, as said “also for a Kosovo-Serbia technical dialogue”. However, Kosovo Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti dismissed these claims, stressing that “objectives are clear to complete this process and not to continue as technical dialogue”.

“Mbi platform base has been held so far starting at the Paris Summit and both sides have sat down and given our positions and introduced our platform that are the main principles and goals that we have in this process. In this process we have clear targets to close, not for technical dialogue”, Prime Minister Hoti said.

Dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia was interrupted in November 2018 when the Kosovo government, led by Ramush Haradinaj, imposed a 100% fee on Serbian goods. Since then, Belgrade has been conditioning the return to the negotiating table with the removal of the fee and finally of reciprocity -- the move of Kosovo that has already been lifted and never backed up by the international factor. / DW