Bieber: No normalisation of relations until Belgrade makes heroes those who attacked Kosovo Police

The director of the Centre for Southeast European Studies at the University of Graz, Florian Biber, has declared that dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia cannot turn into the dynamic that preceded the terrorist attack on Banjska on 24 September and that the situation on the ground.

He said the situation on the ground, which is worse than a year ago, shows that the European Union's special envoy (BE), Miroslav Lajcak, is unable to save that process.

“I don't think we can continue as we did in Banjska, because even though European officials call on the parties to return dialogue, I don't see the future of this” process, said Bieber, who participated in the Security Conference in Belgrade, reports FoNet.

If dialogue leads to deterioration and not improved relations, the question is whether it makes sense. It seems that there are no European officials trying to lower tensions, await next year's European Parliament elections and the new European Commission meeting, which will be tasked with drafting a new process and possibly a new task team”, Bieber stressed.

“I don't believe Lajcak is able to save that process”, Bieber said, adding that “the goal is to preserve the status quo and not repeat the situation like that in Banjska, until the elections”.

Biber emphasises that it must be forced to Belgrade and Pristina through signing a document to do what they have promised in dialogue within specific terms, not “it will bring the ball” and create space for new misunderstandings and escalation.

According to him, every government should promise a change in domestic communication.

If we have a Serbian government making heroes of those who attacked Kosovo police, this is not normalising relations. Normalization means that there are no languages of hatred, constant tension, and the gap between international communication and domestic”, Bieber said, transmits Telegrafi.

Bieber added that Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti has lost the chance to reach out to Serbs in Kosovo, especially those in the north and has not taken them seriously as political actor.

The Serbian <x0List is not an independent political organisation that acts independently from Belgrade, which is not easy for Kurti, but it has lost the opportunity to open communication with Serbs in the north, which opened the doors for escalation”, he confirmed.

Biber stressed that both sides are guilty of escalation and lack of communication, and the impression is that Serbs from Kosovo are not sufficiently involved in the process, their voice is barely heard, and their concerns are not taken into account in Serbia or Kosovo.

When it comes to demands that Serbia respect sanctions against Russia, Bieber said he sees no pressure from the EU for Belgrade to impose sanctions on Moscow.

“They agreed with the fact that Serbia will not do that, and they took something else. Belgrade sends weapons and ammunition to Ukraine. This suits everyone and I do not expect greater pressure, unless something happens and the dynamics of Russia and Ukraine” change not, Bieber said.