The meeting in Ohrid: Escobar speaks of the benefits and consequences Kosovo and Serbia will have if agreement is reached or fails

Escobar has made it clear to both states that failure to reach agreement directly affects the process of integration into the European Union.

Look, the consequences... initially is that we don't move forward in your Atlantic integration. So, for Kosovo, one of the consequences is that the European Union expects it to show the goodwill of being able to have a peaceful relationship with its largest neighbour before deciding whether it is prepared to obtain candidacy in the European Union. So that's a pretty big consequence. But beyond that, there are consequences of not having peaceful relations with your neighbors. So this is not a consequence that we will impose, this is just a natural fact that Kosovo needs a positive, friendly and peaceful relationship with Serbia”, has declared Escobar in an interview for the REL.

The US Emisari has also talked about the benefits Kosovo and Serbia will have in the event of reaching the agreement.

In addition to economic benefits, Escobar has said there are political benefits, especially for Kosovo, saying it would help move faster to European structures.

“The biggest market for the Western Balkans is the European Union. And so what it does is it gives investors confidence that both countries are approaching that market, harmonising their markets with EU regulatory and legislative requirements and that any investment here in the Western Balkans is ultimately an investment in a European market. So that's the biggest and that's the natural consequence of it. But there are other benefits, there are political benefits. It opens the door for the two countries to move faster into European structures, especially for Kosovo”, Escobar has said.