Miroslav Lajcak, European Union’s special envoy for the dialogue between Kosova and Serbia, expressed optimism on Tuesday regarding the modest progress made on several important issues during last week’s meeting of chief negotiators in Brussels.

During their trilateral meeting with Lajaak on Thursday, chief negotiators Besnik Bislimi of Kosova and Petar Petkovic of Serbia failed to reach an agreement on how to advance the normalization of relations between the two neighboring countries. However, they did manage to find common ground on other matters.

In a social media post, Lajcak noted that although no concrete results were achieved concerning the implementation of the 2023 Agreement, he remains hopeful about the progress made on critical issues, emphasizing the commitment to continue addressing them in the coming weeks.

Following the Thursday meetings, Bislimi reported that the parties had reached consensus on several issues, including the establishment of a working group to harmonize approximately 20 veterinary certificates used for border crossings between Kosova and Serbia.

In the past, Kosova has accused Serbia of obstructing the transit of goods and businesses through its territory, citing Belgrade’s refusal to recognize the phytosanitary certificates issued by the Republic of Kosova.

Lajcak also informed Bislimi that Serbia has pledged to issue interconnection lines by the end of next month, as part of a 2022 energy agreement.

Thursday’s meeting was the first trilateral discussion between Bislimi and Petkovic in over three months, yet they again failed to achieve consensus on advancing the normalization of relations.

After the meeting, Bislimi emphasized that the focus was on finding a way to fully implement the Basic Agreement, which Kosova and Serbia agreed upon at the beginning of 2023.

“Unfortunately, there are no results regarding the main topic for which we convened. Serbia seems to be insisting on partial implementation, operating under the idea of ‘we do something, you do something,’” Bislimi stated.

Serbian chief negotiator Petkovic remarked that Belgrade is not shying away from its obligations under the Basic Agreement. However, he insisted that Prishtina must be the first to act, starting with the establishment of the Association of Serb-majority municipalities in Kosova’s farthest north.

Kosova maintains that this agreement must be signed first, even though the EU insists it is binding for both parties regardless of signature. Kosova has previously accused Serbia of seeking only partial implementation of the agreement.

/a.p./