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Kosovo-Serbia/ Lajcak tensions: De-escalation and normalization more urgent than ever

2023-10-21 12:15:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Kosovo-Serbia/ Lajcak tensions: De-escalation and normalization more urgent than

The special representative of the European Union (EU) for the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia, Miroslav Lajcak, said on Saturday that the de-escalation of the situation and the normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia is more urgent than ever before.

Speaking after a meeting of five Western diplomats with the Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, in Pristina, Lajçak said that "any condition and delay for normalization is unacceptable."

Five diplomats from the West started their visits to Kosovo and Serbia on October 21, with one main goal - the revival of the dialogue between the two countries.

This is how the European Union justified the visits of its envoy for the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, Miroslav Lajcak, together with the American envoy for the Western Balkans, Gabriel Escobar, and senior officials from France, Emanuel Bonne, Germany, Jens Plotner and Italy. Francesco Talo, in Pristina and Belgrade.

The authorities in Belgrade have said that the meetings in the Serbian capital will start at 14:00.

Diplomatic sources in Brussels have told Radio Free Europe that this visit is intended to send a message that there is unity between the United States and the EU, to work on the implementation of the Agreement for the normalization of relations between the two countries, reached in February this year in Brussels.

A month later, in Ohrid, North Macedonia, agreement was reached on the annex to its implementation.

At a summit held on October 20 between the USA and the EU in Washington, the parties called for the "quick and unconditional" implementation of the Agreement for the normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia, and for the two countries to return to the dialogue.

"We underline the need for Kosovo and Serbia to urgently reduce tensions and quickly and unconditionally implement the Agreement on the path towards normalization of relations between them and return to the dialogue facilitated by the EU", it was said, among other things, in the statement approved.

But, after the developments in Banjska i Zveçan, the Kosovo authorities have said that things can no longer be the same regarding the course of the dialogue.

On September 24, Kosovo Police sergeant Afrim Bunjaku was killed in Banjska, as a result of attacks by an armed Serbian group. In the ongoing exchange of fire between the police and that group, three attackers were also killed.

The responsibility for the attack was taken by the former vice-president of the Serbian List, Millan Radoicic, who then gave up all functions of the party, which enjoys the support of official Belgrade.

Kosovo is looking for the extradition of Radoicic from Serbia. Kosovo blames Serbia for the September 24 attack, but it rejects all claims./ REL