9 minutes agoLajcak with strong words like Escobar: Association will be created
Periskopi(3 years ago)
(3 years ago)EU envoy for the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue Miroslav Lajcak and US envoy Gabriel Escobar were together many times in Kosovo and Serbia when tensions between the two countries arose from time to time. In its goal of reaching an agreement, Escobar has made it clear that forming association is a strict requirement for [...]
The European Union and the United States of America seem co-ordinated in their efforts to make Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti and Serbian President Aleksandar Vuciq sign the basic agreement based on the European proposal.
After meetings with Kurti in Pristina and Vuciqi in Belgrade, EU envoy for dialogue Miroslav Lajcak told Serbian public television that association would be created. Similarly, this became a clear US request, but in Brussels it has not been discussed more clearly this week on the most sensitive issue currently in the talks.
The EU's highest authority says the association must be established. The U.S. says that association must be created. So it has to create the Association and it's going to be”, he said.
Lajcak has clearly defined the international goal and said they will now prepare the implementation plan, which will be presented to the parties Saturday in Ohrid. He says that “if there is no Association, there is no agreement and there is no normalisation”.
Responding to questions about the model Association, Lajcak said that what was signed in 2013 and 2015 was not implemented, but stressed that “this time must happen”.
That agreement signed 10 years ago has not been abandoned, Lajcak said.
Models proposed by Brussels for Association, the Slovak diplomat said they are as inspired, “not as alternative”.
In Kosovo, he fears that association could harm the functioning of the state.
We want to show them that they should not be afraid, that there are many such models in Europe and that they function well”, Lajcak says.
Escobar said the same
Despite Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti's unwillingness to be the core point of the agreement, the US has already made it clear that they want to establish this community of municipalities. In preparations for the weekend meeting, even the US envoy Gabriel Escobar will come to Kosovo and Serbia, as Lajcak did.
Americans this year have stepped up efforts with this direction, and although Kosovo has endured so far, the US expects discussions on this issue to start immediately.
The American Embassy in Pristina in late February organised a discussion on the issue, and then Ambassador Jeffrey Havenier gathered several political representatives and civil society members at his residence to further discuss it.
After the last meeting between Kurti and Vuciqi in Brussels, US envoy for the Western Balkans Gabriel Escobar said that “we have a lot of work to do”, and the next day he talked about association. He said, "This is a binding duty."
This request is submitted to the Brussels agreement. There are expectations that will be formed. Our position is to form in a way that represents victory for both sides”, he said in a virtual conversation with journalists on February 28th.
Asked about possible deadlines, Escobar said the question is how soon it will be formed.
“I don't want to set deadlines, but I just want to say that the discussion should start immediately”.
In December of last year, Escobar said that “we would have the Association. If this issue is not resolved, he believes there will be a continuing cycle of crisis.
