Kallas: We will try to make the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue functional

The head of diplomacy of the European Union (EU), Kaja Kallas, said on Thursday that she is hearing criticism about the current format of the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia.

She announced that she will examine the possibility, together with the new envoy for dialogue, Peter Sorensen, of making the dialogue between the two neighboring countries functional.

"We have just appointed a special representative for dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina. And I will sit down with him in March to see how we will proceed with this," Kallas said in a joint conversation with the "European Editorial Team" group, which includes about 20 European news agencies.

"I really want to see how we can make this functional. I have also addressed this with the Serbian Foreign Minister. And he has told me that he is really willing to invest time in normalization," Kallas wrote. REL.

Kosovo and Serbia have been in dialogue under the mediation of the European Union since 2011. In recent years, the dialogue has been conducted at a high level, between the leaders of the two countries, and at the level of chief negotiators.

During the nearly five-year mandate of the bloc's previous envoy, Miroslav Lajcak, in early 2023 Kosovo and Serbia reached an Agreement on the Path to Normalization of Relations.

The agreement, which has not been signed, is legally binding on the parties, said the bloc, which has accused Kosovo and Serbia of failing to begin implementing the pact.

In the past, Kosovo leaders, from the country's president, Vjosa Osmani, to Prime Minister Albin Kurti, have criticized Lajcak for an unbalanced approach to dialogue and for occasionally siding with Serbia.

His successor, Peter Sorensen from Denmark, officially took office on February 1.

It is not clear when Sorensen may hold the first meeting within the framework of the dialogue, given that Kosovo held elections on February 9 and is expected to form a new government, while Serbia faces political uncertainty following the resignation of the prime minister.

Kallas said he is waiting until Kosovo forms a new government to "see how to proceed."

Sorensen, unlike his predecessor, will only deal with the dialogue between the two neighboring countries, and not with regional Balkan issues.

Sorensen's appointment has been seen as a positive one, given that the 57-year-old knows the region well. A diplomat for many years, he was engaged in Kosovo, within the framework of the United Nations Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), as well as in other roles, in Serbia, North Macedonia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

According to political experts, he does not need to be informed in advance about the people or historical facts of the region, because he has already had the opportunity to create an up-close overview.

Another argument that has been mentioned as positive by officials in Pristina is that he is from Denmark, a country that recognizes Kosovo's statehood, and that he will have equal access to dialogue.

Kallas reiterated on Thursday that normalizing neighborly relations is necessary for Kosovo and Serbia to move forward.

"If they think they can move on the European path without normalizing relations, then I think that is not possible," she said./REL/