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Analysts: The chances for a breakthrough in Thursday's Kosovo-Serbia talks are few

2023-09-13 22:31:04, Kosova & Bota CNA

Analysts: The chances for a breakthrough in Thursday's Kosovo-Serbia talks

The Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, and the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, will meet on Thursday in Brussels, amid high tensions that have continued since May when the Albanian mayors of the northern municipalities who emerged from the April 23 elections, boycotted by the Serbs, were sent to the municipal offices with the support of the police.

The American envoy for the Balkans, Gabriel Escobar, told the Voice of America that he expects the parties to take seriously the obligations arising from the comprehensive agreement for the normalization of relations between the two countries, and to start fulfilling them.

Albanian and Serbian analysts interviewed by the Voice of America see few opportunities for progress in the talks, since, according to them, none of the leaders of the two countries has given signs of a change of attitude.

Analyst Rrahman Paçarizi said that the parties must fulfill the demands of the international community from the escalation of the situation in the north of Kosovo to the implementation of the agreements.

" They should see this meeting as an opportunity and not as pressure, and seeing it as an opportunity, I think they will free themselves from the burdens they have burdened themselves with and implement what they have committed to, because only in this way will they be shown reliable partner before the international community ", said Mr. Paçarizi.

Milica Andriç Rakiç from the "New Social Initiative" organization in North Mitrovica said that a new approach by the leaders of both countries is needed to make progress.

" Both leaders should stop using rhetoric, talk about compromise in their public speech, assert that there is an agreement, stop simply hurting the other side with those counter-speech that prevails. Of course, there should be a real dialogue, because now what we are seeing is that they are basically just looking for a way to slow down the process, and they are accusing each other of slowing down," said Ms. Andriç Rakiç .

The European Union seeks to reduce tensions through a plan that foresees the suspension of police operations in the north, the relocation of mayors to alternative offices and the announcement of early elections with the unconditional participation of Kosovo Serbs. The Government of Kosovo has agreed on steps to reduce tensions, by halving the presence of police units in municipal buildings in the north and taking actions to pave the way for early elections. She expects the European Union to lift the punitive measures against Kosovo which were imposed in June due to the situation in the north.

Mr. Paçarizi says that the Prime Minister of Kosovo should change his approach to dialogue.

" It must prove partnership and prove itself as a stable partner with the West, of course, protecting Kosovo's interests, but cooperation with the West is not against Kosovo's interests, on the contrary," he said .

Analysts say the international community must continue to pressure the parties to promote progress towards normalizing relations.

" But I just don't see what else can make it work, and there definitely needs to be pressure, but maybe it needs to be increased, to put pressure on some other areas. Some sanctions can be deepened, so a good balance must be found between punishing leaders and citizens, and this is a serious challenge for the international factor ", said Milica Andriç Rakiç.

" Pressure certainly works, but Kosovo should not take the work to the point of pressure, Kosovo should behave as a partner and not as a party, as Serbia behaves in relation to the European Union and the United States. It means that Kosovo has a partnership that has been built with a lot of effort both with the USA and with the main countries of the European Union, therefore Kosovo's position in negotiations has always been more favorable, it has been the position of an ally while now we have transformed in an equal party with Serbia, an equality that we have sought but not in this way because we are no longer allies with the West ", said Mr. Paçarizi.

International diplomats have asked the parties to avoid any actions that could escalate the situation in the north and to focus on the normalization of relations between them, which is a condition for progress towards the fulfillment of aspirations for European integration./ VOA