The Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, met on Wednesday evening with the envoy of the European Union for the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia, Miroslav Lajcak, and the envoy of the United States for the Western Balkans, Gabriel Escobar.
Kurti called this preparatory meeting before the August 18 meeting between him and the Serbian president, Aleksandar Vucic in Brussels, in the framework of the dialogue mediated by the EU.

They were invited for dialogue after the increase in tensions in the north of Kosovo on July 31.Kosovo Serbs have erected barricades as a sign of dissatisfaction with the move by the Government of Kosovo to implement two decisions on car plates and Serbian documents.The barricades were removed after the Government postponed the implementation of the decision to September 1.
Kurti told the media that in the meeting with Lajcak and Escobar, they discussed “elements of the framework for the agreement on the normalization of relations, which should be based on mutual recognition, as well as on current issues”.

“It is expected that all bilateral relations, with all difficulties and obstacles, will be addressed.”He has insisted that Kosovo is for reciprocity with Serbia.

Asked if there is a possibility that Kosovo will once again postpone the implementation of the decisions on Serbian license plates and documents, Kurti said that “we are discussing a solution, not a postponement”.

Lajçak: Avoid tensions through dialogue
Lajcak has said that he wants an agreement to be reached at the August 18 meeting, but he did not specify what for.He said that through dialogue he wants to avoid the tense situation of July 31 on September 1.

 “We will have discussions about future relations, how to achieve normalization and we will discuss current issues. We have two leaders with democratic mandates and we expect them to dedicate themselves to finding a solution that ensures that there will be no crisis”, Lajçak declared.

Escobar: We also discussed the Association
Escobar, meanwhile, has said that the US supports the dialogue mediated by the EU.

“We are looking for solutions that enable regional stability”, he said.Escobar said that in the meeting with Kurt, the Association of municipalities with a Serbian majority was also discussed. According to him, the Association should be formed in accordance with the laws and the constitution of Kosovo.

“We think that within Europe there are many models that can be used to find a stable and productive solution for all parties involved.”

Kosovo and Serbia have an agreement on the Association in 2013 and then in 2015 on the principles for its establishment.In 2015, the Constitutional Court of Kosovo found that the agreement is not in full harmony with the Constitution.

/Klara Ruci/