German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas has endorsed Miroslav Lajčák for EU Special Representative for the Kosovo-Serbia Dialogue and the Western Balkans.
In a message tweeted by the German Foreign Office, Maas offered Germany’s “full support” to Lajčák, and said he’s looking forward to their cooperation on the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia.
FM @HeikoMaas: Thanks #MiroslavLajcak, you were a highly respected, great Foreign Minister for Slovakia! I look forward to continuing our close & trusted cooperation on such an important issue as the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue. You will have Germany‘s full support and backing!
— GermanForeignOffice (@GermanyDiplo) March 22, 2020
Maas’s endorsement comes just two days after Kosovo’s President Hashim Thaçi criticized the EU for “officially” appointing Lajčak in the position.
He said Lajčak was destined to fail in his work because he has worked to stop his country, Slovakia, from recognizing Kosovo, and to vote against its membership in UNESCO.
Thaçi’s statement was refuted by an EU spokesman as “inaccurate and factually incorrect”, adding that no appointment has been made yet.
Kosovo’s president also slammed the EU, Borrell and Lajčak two weeks ago, after meeting with Serbia’s President Alexandar Vučić at the White House in Washington, at the invitation of the US envoy for the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, Richard Grenell.
Thaçi prefers to strike an agreement with Vučić under Grenell’s mediation, although it’s the Kosovo government, not the president, who should engage in talks. Moreover, the UN General Assembly gave the lead in mediating the dialogue to the European Union in 2010, which it took forward from 2011 until 2018 with relative success.
Lajčák, who has been a Foreign Minister of Slovakia since 2012 and was previously EU’s High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina, was proposed for the position by the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell. His nomination has to be approved by all member states.
