The Special Representative of the European Union for the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, Miroslav Lajčak, said that today he had a meaningful conversation with the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, about the continuation of the Brussels dialogue and the implementation of all the agreements reached in that process. "Today in Belgrade, I had a meaningful conversation with President Vučić about the next high-level meeting in September, efforts to reduce tensions and to hold new local elections in the north of Kosovo, as well as the implementation of all agreements reached in the dialogue," Lajčak wrote on network X.
Vučić previously wrote on Instagram that he spoke with Lajčak for more than two hours and that he told him that he was "very worried about the plan" of Kosovo Prime Minister Aljbin Kurti "to forcibly occupy the north of the province and expel Serbs from their centuries-old hearths".
Lajčak came to Belgrade as part of preparations for the upcoming high-level meeting in the Brussels dialogue. Previously, on Monday, he spoke with Kurti on the sidelines of the Bled Strategic Forum. After the meeting with Kurti, Lajčak wrote that the main topic of conversation was the preparations for the next high-level dialogue meeting in September, with a focus on the normalization of relations and the implementation of the EU announcement of June 3," Lajčak wrote on the social network X. On June 3, the EU announced that it expects Kosovo and Serbia to behave responsibly and immediately engage in dialogue in order to find a sustainable solution to the situation in the north of Kosovo that guarantees safety, security and participatory democracy for all citizens and that paves the way for the implementation of the Agreement on the path to the normalization of relations, reached on February 27. The Union then stated that this includes the start of work on the formation of the Union of Municipalities with a Serbian majority (ZSO) without further delay or preconditions, as well as that the Kosovo authorities should as soon as possible call for extraordinary local elections in all four municipalities in the north of Kosovo, in which Kosovo Serbs will participate.
The EU requests that conditions be created for the continuation of the dialogue
Today, the EU once again called on Belgrade and Pristina to create a climate for continuing the dialogue on the normalization of relations.
EU spokesman Peter Stano told Radio Free Europe (RSE) that "work on dialogue is ongoing".
"In recent weeks, we have repeatedly stated that on the EU side there is a clear expectation from the parties to take very well-defined steps for de-escalation and create conditions for the continuation of the dialogue," Stano said.
He underlined the "essential importance" of continuing the dialogue without delay, through the implementation of the Agreement on the Road to the Normalization of Relations between Kosovo and Serbia and its Implementation Annex.
Stano stated that there is no date yet for the new meeting between Vučić and Kurti in Brussels, which Lajčak said will be in September.
Osmani: Suspension of visas would kill the dialogue
The President of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani, said today that the decision to suspend visas for citizens of Kosovo from January 1, 2024 would kill the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia.
She was reacting to the statement of French President Emmanuel Macron, who said on August 28 that his country will review the commitments it has made regarding economic issues and visa policy for Kosovo and Serbia, "if the two sides do not behave responsibly".
"I would say that this is a way to kill the dialogue once and for all. If someone wants to end the dialogue, then let them take such measures, which are punitive measures against the people of Kosovo. These measures are not against any leader, they are not against politics, they are against of the people of Kosovo," she said during a visit to the monument to the missing in Pristina.
She added that it would be an unprecedented punishment, which would be a great injustice for the people of Kosovo and which would result in the death of dialogue.
"No one has a mandate to go to Brussels, when the people of Kosovo are being punished," said Osmani.
The President of Kosovo said that on September 1, instructions will be ready for holding extraordinary elections in four municipalities in the north of Kosovo, as soon as the legal conditions for holding elections in the municipalities of North Mitrovica, Zvečan, Zubin Potok and Leposavić are created.
She also expressed the expectation that at the next high-level meeting between Kosovo and Serbia, "the European Union will determine that its demands have been met and that all conditions for the removal of measures against Kosovo that were unjust have been met."
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