Serwer for Kosovo-Serbia dialogue: It's working, parties try other options

Serwer in an analysis released after Tuesday's meeting between the country's prime minister, Albin Kurti and Serbian President Aleksandar Vuciq, considers all factors involved.

“The EU is warning of possible violence because of this stalemate. This is realistic. Belgrade has sometimes caused violence during the past year in northern Kosovo by Serb majority. Serbia is trying to show that Kosovo cannot rule there and make Americans and Europeans convince Pristina to allow Belgrade to do so through the SDSM. Kurti is not buying, not only because he wants to defend Kosovo's sovereignty and territorial integrity, but also because Serbia, the US and the EU are offering him little in exchange for”, Cerwer has said.

“The obvious fact is that the “bilateral dialog” Kosovo-Serbia is not working. It is tempting to say that no one is guilty, but it would be more accurate to say that they are all. Europeans have failed to make it attractive. Americans have simply moved to Belgrade's calm down and the crackdown on Pristina”.

Serer, among other things, has said that they must try something else, like the Berlin Process.

The multilateral approach involving all six members outside the Western Balkans' EU has been much more successful. The so-called Berlin process last year produced well-known agreements on mutual recognition of ID cards, university diplomas and professional qualifications”.

“Both Serbia and Kosovo have ratified these agreements, but it certainly remains to be seen whether and how they will implement them. These recent agreements come at the top of the commitment to a Joint Regional Trade (CRM), which aims to free the movement of goods, services, people and capital in preparation for EU membership. The CRM also envisions regional, digital investment and industrial and innovative zone” is expressed in Serwer.

In the analysis, the American analyst says Kosovo and Serbia are not willing to improve relations and that, according to him, no final agreement is on the horizon.

Kosovo and Serbia are simply not ready to do for each other what it needs to improve relations. Serbia has turned east internationally and less democratic in the country. His state-inflicted press raises anti-Albanian enthusiasm every day. There's no chance of zero apologizing for the 1990s depression. Kosovo is more or less united in rejecting any new violations of its sovereignty and territorial integrity. Its constitution already offers guaranteed seats in parliament for Serbs, as well as a large measure of self-government for municipalities”.

“No “concluded” is nowhere on the horizon. This is what bilateral dialogue had to produce. So it's time to move the Serbia/Kosovo show where it can be more productive. The Berlin process is the right place. Inculcated in a multilateral context in which Berlin plays an important role, Kurti and Vucic can play better” has said Cerer.