EU envoy Miroslav Lajcak has stated that the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue must be brought to a successful end, 10 years after it started.
He made the statement on the day of the tenth anniversary of the United Nations General Assembly decision to have the European Union facilitate the dialogue for the normalisation of relations between Kosovo and Serbia.
“Today marks 10 years since #UNGA welcomed the readiness of the #EU to facilitate a process of dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina. It’s high-time to bring it to a successful end,” Lajcak tweeted on Wednesday.
Last Monday, Lajcak facilitated a second meeting in Brussels between the two countries’ leaders, prime minister Avdullah Hoti of Kosovo and president Aleksandar Vucic of Serbia.
All the three were satisfied by the results of talks about the missing persons, the displaced and economic cooperation. Lajcak said talks on these issues were completed.
Hoti and Vucic will meet for a third time in Brussels on September 28, possibly to discuss the Association of Serb Municipalities in Kosovo and issues related to finance.
The ASM was part of the 2013 Brussels Agreement between Kosovo and Serbia. It stipulated that Serb majority municipalities in Kosovo will be able to form a self-governing association with full governing power in many areas, including education, health, economic development, urban planning.
The agreement was fiercely opposed by the Kosovo opposition for creating the conditions for the “bosnization” of Kosovo, i.e. the creation of a state within a state.
In December 2015, Kosovo’s Constitutional Court ruled parts of the 2013 agreement unconstitutional, and the establishment of the association stalled.
On Wednesday, Hoti said Kosovo has an obligation to implement the ASM.
The EU-facilitated dialogue has no deadline.
