In Brussels, European emissaries are holding bilateral meetings with the leaders of Kosovo and Serbia, followed by a trilateral meeting.

Initially, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell and EU Special Representative for the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue Miroslav Lajcak met with Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti.

They then met with Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vucic in a new round of talks aimed at normalizing relations.

Before the meetings, Borrell expressed his expectations that today’s dialogue would address the progress in talks and the implementation of the Agreement on the path to normalization.

“Unfortunately, the implementation of the [normalization] agreement has not yet started. We hope today to discuss how to ensure we move forward with this agreement. Implementation is the key word,” Borrell said.

He noted that previous meetings between Kurti and Vučić primarily focused on “managing successive crises” but hoped this meeting would be different.

“Today, in this new round of dialogue, we hope to send a different message and achieve a different outcome. Our special envoy has been working on this, and we want to discuss what has been achieved in the dialogue since our mandate began in 2019. It’s important to know how both parties view the future of the EU-mediated dialogue,” Borrell stated.

Borrell highlighted that while he and Lajcak would be stepping down in a few months, “the agreements, Council conclusions, and EU expectations will not change.”

“Normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia is at the heart of the EU’s engagement in the Western Balkans and is closely linked to the path towards EU membership,” Borrell added.

Before the meetings, Vucic stated he did not expect any results from his meeting with Kurti.

“I don’t expect anything. I expect [Kurti] to dramatize and shout a bit, until I tell him to stop. I’ll listen carefully to Borrell and Lajčák. We’ll fight for the interests of our people. I don’t expect major conclusions,” Vučić told reporters.

This is the first meeting between Kurti and Vucic this year, taking place as European officials mediating the process near the end of their five-year mandate. Borrell is expected to speak to the media following the trilateral meeting.

/k.s/