Escobar and Lajcak in Serbia: Dialogue is the only process for normalising relations with Kosovo

Deputy Assistant Secretary of State and Special Envoy for the Western Balkans Gabriel Escobar and the European Union's special representative for Kosovo-Serbia dialogue and other regional issues in the Western Balkans, Miroslav Lajcak, are on a two-day visit to Belgrade.

“The EU and the US are closely co-operating in the realisation of the European future of Kosovo and Serbia, as their common vision, meanwhile progress in normalising bilateral relations is an important step”, has written the American embassy on a Twitter post.

After meeting with Serbia's prime minister, Ana Brnabyq, Escobar and Lajcak have met with Serbian diplomacy chief Nikola Sekalovic.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vuciq at a meeting with US envoy for the Western Balkans Gabriel Escobar and the European Union's envoy for dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia, Miroslav Lajcak.

Sekalovic said Serbia is determined not to interfere with the internal affairs of neighbouring countries and has a strong stance that all disputes should be resolved through democratic political dialogue.

He also told co-ordinators that Belgrade is willing to continue dialogue with Pristina and is open to reaching a compromise agreement that will be mutually acceptable.

Sekalovic stressed that nearly nine years after reaching the Brussels Agreement, Pristina has not fulfilled its main part, which is the formation of the Association of Serb majority municipalities.

For the formation of the Association of Serb majority municipalities, reconciliation between Kosovo and Serbia was reached in Brussels in 2013, meanwhile another agreement on it was reached in 2015.

However, in December 2015, the Constitutional Court of Kosovo found that these principles were not fully in harmony with the spirit of the Constitution. But the formation of association has been disputed because it is not based on multiethnicity, but collects municipalities in which an ethnic community is a majority, in the concrete case, the Serb community, reports the REL.

The chief of Serbian diplomacy has also spoken of organising Serbia's upcoming elections in Kosovo. He said that in the past two decades, all election cycles organised by Belgrade have developed on Kosovo territory, with the help of the OSCE.

Presidential and early parliamentary elections in Serbia are scheduled for 3 April.

In a referendum on changing Serbia's constitution on 16 January, Pristina authorities did not allow Kosovo Serbs to vote in Kosovo.

Daciq asked US, EU to use their authority over Pristina

Serbia's Parliament Speaker, Ivica Dacic, has announced to the co-ordinators about the upcoming elections in Serbia, which will be held 3 April.

He has voiced confidence that elections will be held on Kosovo's territory, asking the EU and the US to use their authority to influence Pristina authorities to enable them to do so.

As said in a communique of Serbia's Parliament, Lajcak has said with a joint visit with deputy-help The US Secretary of State wants to show the entire region that the EU and the US have the same vision for the Balkans, which is membership in the European Union.

He has said that “dialog is the only process for normalising relations between Serbia and Kosovo” and has stressed that after the elections in Serbia, space is created for its intensifying.

As it has been said, Lajcak has stated that the EU's position is for elections to be organised in Kosovo as well and that it has been discussed during the visit to Pristina.

Escobar said dialogue with EU mediation is the only mechanism supporting the US for resolving open issues.

The American and European mediator has told Daciqi that in all the talks they had in Kosovo, they have sent a clear message that association should be formed, as well as implement everything for which reconciliation has been achieved through dialogue.

Even the director of the Government of Serbia's Office for Kosovo, Petar Petkovovic, has been forward to co-operating Belgrade's commitment to continuing dialogue.

However, that process should be parallel and implies that Pristina fulfils obligations made by the dialogue process, especially when it comes to forming the Association of Serb majority municipalities”, Petkovic said.

As said in the communiqué, he has also expressed concern about the fact that Kosovo is not implementing its decisions, especially when it comes to the ownership of the Decani Monastery.

Escobar and Lajcak met with opposition

US Special Envoy for the Western Balkans Gabriel Escobar and EU Special Representative for Kosovo-Serbia Dialogue Miroslav Lajcak also met with opposition representatives in Belgrade.

“The US does not support political parties in Serbia, but the healthy development of its democracy. All actors in her political life play an important role in this process and make the country stronger”, the US Embassy said on Twitter.

In talks with US and EU envoys were Marinica Tepiq from the Freedom and Justice Party, Miroslav Aleksic from the People's Party, Nathan Albahari from the Free Citizens Movement, Dobrica Veselinovic from “Let us not kill Belgrade”, as well as Nebojsa Zelenovic, president of “together for Serbia<3>.

Opposition parties that boycotted previous parliamentary elections in June 2020 have announced their participation in the upcoming April elections. Most of the opposition boycotted the recent elections, believing there are no conditions for keeping them free and fair.

Following talks with Serbian President Allexander Vucic on Wednesday evening, Escobar and Lajcak said it is crucial that both sides meet all obligations from the dialogue.

On Thursday afternoon, February 3rd, 2022, at the end of their visit to Belgrade, Escobar and Lajcak will hold a joint press conference.