Lajčak: Vučić and Kurti have mandates to make difficult decisions

The special envoy of the European Union (EU) for the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, Miroslav Lajčak, said that Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić and Kosovo Prime Minister Aljbin Kurti have mandates to make difficult decisions as part of the dialogue.

"Vučić and Kurti have mandates to make difficult decisions... The EU has done everything it could, but we cannot want normalization more than Kosovo and Serbia," said Lajčak in an interview with the newspaper Nova, adding that a comprehensive agreement is crucial for joining the EU.

According to him, a comprehensive legally binding agreement on the normalization of relations is the goal of the dialogue and a key part of his mandate.

"It is also a key condition for the two sides to eventually join the EU. My wish was for us to go all the way and finish the process with a comprehensive legally binding normalization agreement. That was not possible, but I also want to underline that we have come a long way." , said Lajcak, who ends his term as the EU's special envoy for dialogue on August 31.

Lajcak said it depends on Belgrade and Pristina to reach an agreement on the final agreement.

"The process is their property and we are talking about their future. Both sides have European integration as a strategic priority and progress in the normalization of their relations is essential for progress towards the EU," he said and added that both Serbia and Kosovo know that they must achieve a comprehensive and legally binding normalization agreement.

According to him, Kosovo and Serbia must make an additional effort and bring the process to an end.

"We can advise, propose and help at every step along the way, and that's what we're doing. However, in the end, it's the two parties who need to normalize their relations," added Lajčak.

According to him, the responsibilities of the parties are clear.

"It is up to Kosovo to start the procedure for the establishment of the Community of Serbian Municipalities and accept the European draft statute, and it is up to Serbia to fulfill its numerous obligations in parallel, starting with the recognition of Kosovo's symbols, documents and institutions, which is foreseen in the plan of the sequence of steps for the implementation of the agreement," he said. is a special envoy.

According to him, both sides and their constructiveness will be measured solely on the basis of progress and not on the actions or public statements of the other side.

"The ball is in the court of Serbia and Kosovo, and we are waiting for them to start fulfilling the agreement," Lajcak added.

He said that his wish is for the Western Balkans to succeed and finally become part of the EU, because the region belongs there - geographically, economically, culturally.

According to him, the new fund for the growth of the Western Balkans is also a clear signal of the EU's commitment to integrate the region into the EU.

"We are not only talking about six billion euros of EU taxpayers' money, but also the gradual accession to the EU," added Lajcak, who was appointed EU ambassador to Switzerland and will take up that position on September 1.

The name of Lajčak's successor to the post of special envoy for dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina will not be known before the formation of the European Commission after the elections for the European Parliament in June. One of the candidates is the former president of Slovenia, Borut Pahor.