Orav as Kosovo still does not benefit from the Development Plan: Let's build the Assembly first.

At a time when many connoisseurs of political circumstances estimate that dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia has lost direction and is “kically dead”, the head of the EU Office in Kosovo, Aivo Orar, has a different attitude. 

Ambassador Orav has stressed that dialogue cannot be described as dead, despite the challenges and strains he has faced over the years.

In a way, it's neither clinically nor otherwise dead. This is an important step, or more precisely, a process between Serbia and Kosovo, which has started since 2013 under the relief of the European Union, that world of Mrs. Ashton. He's continued, yes, with a few more positive moments, perhaps even negative moments, but to be said to be clinically dead, of course. Dialogue is very much alive, and among the best examples of this is Peter Sorensen, who was here, and who will come back, as well as under the leadership of the High Representative (Kaja Kallas v.j.), who I hope will come along, soon I believe”, Orar said.

He has expressed high expectations for the impact Sorensen's commitment to this dialogue and on Kosovo's international relations.

I believe that usually what happens is that when new people take on the job, they certainly have new energy and enthusiasm, so I believe it will happen to Mr. Peter Sorensen. He was here a few days ago, and also in Belgrade, where he is asking questions and then I very much hope he will return with some kind of proposal. Meanwhile, dialogue -- or better say the process of normalisation -- is extremely important for both sides, Kosovo and Serbia, because I cannot imagine how Kosovo or Serbia could enter the European Union without normalising their” relations, Orar added.

The European Union's financial assistance to Kosovo is closely related to the dialogue process and the implementation of agreements the parties have reached, however, Orav has said dialogue is a condition for the integration of both countries into the EU.

The European Union is the goal for both Serbia and Kosovo. Dialogue is a condition, or prerequisite, while financial assistance, or our money, is simply a tool to help carry out reforms and help the parties also prepare for membership in the European Union”, the ambassador Oraw underlined.

In this context, he has cited the European Union's Growth Plan, a programme that has a considerable funding to support Western Balkan countries in implementing reforms and to help them move towards integration into the European Union. According to Orav, although some countries in the region have already benefited from this plan, Kosovo has still declined financial assistance due to the lack of ratification by the Kosovo Assembly.

Kosovo has not benefited yet. There's no problem but it hasn't been introduced to the Parliament. Whenever it is constitutional, the Assembly must ratify the loan agreement. That's why the money hasn't come from this Growth Plan”, Orav said.

As for the measures against Kosovo, he has mentioned Peter Sorensen, who has been here, as well as the fact that in all his meetings, for three days, he has heard from Kosovo counterparts, whether in government or in opposition, or business leaders and NGOs, in terms of the situation of measures, or even expectations that the European Union will remove those measures as soon as possible.

“So this message has already been brought to Brussels”, the EU chief said.

He has said that the issue of the undiscovered is one of the priorities in the dialogue and has highly regarded the agreement between the chief negotiators of Serbia and Kosovo last December, to form a joint commission for missing persons.

Now, we have to move this thing forward. Here, in Kosovo, our colleagues from EULEX are working extremely closely with their counterparts parties at the Kosovo Institute for Legal Medicine, while our EU office here is trying as hard as possible so that the voices of those families that have unconscious persons, their relatives, are clearly heard, and I want to make everything possible for this Institute to have all the means to do this. It has been a huge problem for more than 1600 families, who have lost relatives who have the right to know the truth, what happened, why, as well as in this direction, they can move forward. Thus, this is one of the positive examples of what can be achieved with the” dialogue, Orav said in the RTK2 interview, broadcast RTKlive.

He has voiced hope that there will be no delays in establishing Kosovo's new government following the Certificate of the February 9th elections.

For us the important thing is that this government is stable, to be a good partner to us, so that it fulfills promises, and that it does work, because it is the only way it can move towards the European Union”, the chief of the EU Office said.

Speaking of the closure of parallel institutions working under the Republic of Serbia system and whether this issue can be discussed in dialogue, Orav has said Serbia-led institutions in Kosovo are clearly issues for dialogue.

We've highlighted this over and over again in our conversations with politicians here, but we've also said it over and over again. We certainly know how much this issue affects people in the area in question. Meanwhile, there are many agreements, many requirements for which both governments have agreed, so both sides must realise what they agreed on. Here, in terms of the Serbian side, I would like to stress that Serbia has promised not to prevent Kosovo from entering international organisations, and here first I speak to the Council of Europe”, Orav said.