ZKM after Bislimi-Lajcak meeting: Even for the EU it is clear there is no alternative but opening the bridge

According to a communique sent to the media, the ZKM says that at the Bislimi-Lajcak meeting, it was discussed about the opening of the Ibri Bridge, which, as “and for the EU, it is clear, there is no alternative other than opening the” bridge.

The “in the meeting with Emissar Lajcak was discussed on the sequence plan and implementation of agreements. The deputy prime minister again voiced Kosovo's constructive and active commitment to implementing the agreements and the way forward, as well as its commentary on the sequence drafts, while Serbia has not taken any steps towards it, and in the first place has neither accepted the” agreement, it is said among other things in the communiqué.

While for the trilateral meeting, the Kosovo government has said the Serb side has rejected such a meeting.

Full communication:

First Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration, Development and Dialogue of the Republic of Kosovo Besnik Bislimi met in Brussels with EU Special Representative Miroslav Lajcak within the framework of the initial meeting of the dialogue process.

The meeting took place in the bilatheral format, while the trilate meeting did not occur, due to Serbia's refusal to participate in such a meeting. For its part, Kosovo through its chief negotiator has agreed to hold the trilateral meeting, according to the mediator's predetermined agenda, where the only topic of discussion was to be the way ahead of the implementation of the Bazic Agreement and the Inventionary Annex.

At the meeting with Emissar Lajcak, the sequence plan and implementation of the agreements was discussed. The prime minister again voiced Kosovo's constructive and active commitment to implementing the agreements and the way forward, as well as its commentary on the sequence drafts, while Serbia has not taken any steps towards it, and has not yet accepted the agreement in the first place.

The topic of discussion was also the issue of people missing by violence, telecommunications, IBM and freedom of movement. About the issue of violent missing persons, the deputy prime minister reiterated Serbia's restructuring, which is deliberately dragging the process on by submitting new demands even after final agreement.

On freedom of movement, the deputy prime minister briefed Mr. Lajcak on the ease of the government's patent-viser conversion for citizens of the Serb community and their support in the process.

As for the bridge over the Iber River, it is clear to the EU that there is no alternative but opening the bridge.

The deputy prime minister added that even in European Commission reports since 2014, The EU says the bridge should be opened, without delay further. He said this issue has already been addressed and agreed on in Brussels, in the context of the dialogue process, and that it should be opened under the existing agreement, where it is also described as a symbol of normalisation.