Sorensen hands tied in the dialogue, wanted Kurti-Vucciq meeting, now making “menagjon” arrests that the parties carried out

Kosovo's incumbent Deputy Prime Minister, Besnik Bislimi, appeared to be engaged concretely in dialogue with Serbian chief negotiator Petar Petkovic in dialogue, when he held his first meeting with the European Union's special envoy for Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, Peter Sorensen.

On that trip, Bislimi would also meet directly with Petkov, but later it was said that this was possible due to some Serbian delegation delays.

He basically showed us with the approach he thinks to have at the next stage of the talks, both at the level of the chief negotiators, even at the high meetings where Mrs. Kallas, and then at the bilatheral meeting, we set up a series of topics on which we believe it is very important that the sooner we get answers from Brussels or choice”, Bislim told of meeting with Sorensen.

It showed that it had “in advance even a trilate” but it turns out that “ky couldn't happen because complications have occurred with Serbia's team, which has not arrived in Brussels due to delays in Vienna or something similar”.

Asked whether those meetings in the situation Kosovo is in and whether it would influence the dialogue process, Bislim said: “of course there are difficulties for the reason that there cannot be held high-level meetings, but there are still some topics where Kosovo can benefit if there is constructiveness or constructive approach on the part of Serbia, and I think it would not be okay if we lost these chances because in Pristina there are obstacles to the Contituting of the Frame”

Sorensen, who began the moderator's work in a situation where the curve of tensions between Kosovo and Serbia was not up to it, and when the two countries seemed to be dealing more with their situations inside, optimism appeared at the beginning of the year.

The June 2nd meeting with Bisimi, the Danish diplomat, said it was “within preparation for a trilateral meeting”.

“expected Kosovo Chief negotiator Besnik Bislimi for a meeting under preparations for a trilateral meeting of dialogue in Brussels today. We discussed a wide range of important issues on normalising relations with Serbia. We plan to organise a trilateral meeting soon”, Sorensen wrote on X.

About a week later, Sorensen sat face to face with Petkov's Bislim at a meeting that was said to take place “in preparation for a” summit between incumbent Kosovo Prime Minister Ablin Kurti and Serbian President Aleksandar Vuciq.

I held a long meeting with Kosovo and Serbia's chief negotiators in Brussels. We discussed advancing the normalisation of their relations in preparation for a dialogue summit, unfulfilled implementation obligations, and current issues. We agreed to continue the discussion soon”, Sorensen wrote.

His discussion with Petkovitch's Bissim at the table remained, and a summit of Kurti-Wuchic became almost impossible.

Arrests

A few days before Bislim travelled to Brussels for the second time in June to meet with Petkov, Serbia had arrested a Kosovo citizen in Belgrade.

Arbnor Spahiu, former member of the Kosovo Special Police Unit, has been held in custody ever since, as suspect “grave murder”, according to the Supreme Court in Subotica. He is accused of murder in Banjska in September 2023, where a group of Serbs attacked the Kosovo Police, killing Sergeant Africa Bulnjak.

In July, several Serbs and Albanians were arrested in Kosovo, accused and tried, under suspicion of spying on Serbia's intelligence services.

On 17 July, police officer Bojan Jevtic was arrested, under suspicion of illegal spying activities on behalf of Serbia's security facilities.

A day later in Kosovo, deputy director of the Office for Kosovo was arrested in the Serbian Government Igor Popovic, after in a speech to greater Hoce, he named the Kosovo Liberation Army “terrorist organisation” and compared its actions to serious international events.

In office Prime Minister Albin Kurti said at a government meeting Friday that security institutions have testimony to Igor Popovic's ties to the Serbian intelligence agency, BIA and that it illegally recorded several conversations within the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue on 17 September 2020 in Brussels.

In this situation, work for Peter Sorensen seems obviously difficult. He met in Berlin on Tuesday with German State Minister Gunther Krichbaum, who called on Kosovo and Serbia to implement the agreements and refrain from escalation, while praising the Danish diplomat's efforts.

“Call on the Governments of Kosovo and Serbia to implement all already reached agreements without further delays, to refrain from any declaration or action that could lead to escalation. I encourage both countries to resume full engagement in the dialogue process. This includes enabling free and secure movement, also for negotiators and their teams, as well as a critical modulation in public statements on the awareness of their respective mandate. Germany is ready to support the two countries in advancing a stable, comprehensive and peaceful process of normalisation”, said a communique after the meeting.

The arrest of Popovic was also mentioned.

“We see the future of the Western Balkans in the European Union. The normalisation of relations between Kosovo and Serbia is essential in this regard. Dialogue and good neighbourly relations are a pillar of a strong European Union. In that spirit, we continue to follow closely the recent arrest of Serbia's Deputy Director Igor Popovic in Kosovo. Any measure of freedom deprivation should be justified and proportional”, it says.

Also, the German minister said they are closely following the arrest of Kosovo citizens Arbnor Spahiu and that they expect “Serbia to fully and quickly ensure the proper implementation of legal procedures, respect fundamental rights and ensure a fair legal process é in line with the Justice Dialogue Agreement, which stipulates that criminal proceedings for actions in Kosovo should be conducted principle in Kosovo”.

“I remember all actors involved, both in Kosovo and Serbia, that respecting fundamental European standards and values -- in particular, the rule of law -- is vital for the EU membership process”. /Periscope/