Escobar, Lajcak tomorrow in Kosovo, clear messages are expected

International Relations Professor Dritaro Arifi tells Kosovo that he expects Lajcak and Escobar to have unified demands on the Kosovo side.

He says the same will require acceleration of dialogue on specific topics.

I believe that Mr. Lajcak and Escobar will have unified demands on the Kosovo side. The United States is trying in a way to reshape dialogue, accelerated on specific topics. Perhaps to also give a long-term framework, since it cannot go into dialogue for ten years and talk about the same topics. I am confident that the requirements will be linked even to the request of Secretary Blinken, as regards the energy agreement in northern Kosovo, the found and normally to all court decisions that must be implemented by Kosovo institutions”, he says.

The largest pressure of Escobar and Lajcak for the establishment of Association is waiting, political analyst Arton Demhasaj.

“The messages will be clear, they have to see what the political goal in Kosovo is for these messages. Then elections in Serbia to be held in early April will be expected as soon as new institutions are established in Serbia may very soon be held with the claim that the agreement could be approaching... Messages will be given perhaps even in writing before Prime Minister Kurti, who should urgently return to the dialogue table, claiming that very soon the final agreement between Kosovo and Serbia will be reached, which will end with mutual recognition... Likely, the pressure of Mr. Lajcak and Escobar will be linked to the issue of creating association and then having a closing agreement that would end with mutual recognition”, he says.

However, despite the three-day visit of dialogue mediators, Dritaro Arifi says there will be no major dynamic dialogue before elections in Serbia.

“I don't think it can accelerate (the dialogue dynamic) at least before April. Even if there may be an appointment, it may be enough to calm the parties down. In a way to convey a photograph that the parties have found understanding. It will be more a meeting than a peace between the two nations. I believe the hottest meetings will take place after the election ends in Serbia”, he adds.

From January 31st to February 2nd, Escobar and Lajcak will meet with political leadership in Kosovo, political party leaders as well as representatives of the international community. The main purpose of the visit is to discuss future steps in the dialogue on normalising relations between Kosovo and Serbia, facilitated by the EU and supported by the US. /