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Konjufca: The biggest problem with the dialogue is the blow to its good faith from Serbia

2026-05-11 16:03:21, Kosova & Bota CNA

Konjufca: The biggest problem with the dialogue is the blow to its good faith

Kosovo's acting Minister of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, Glauk Konjufca, said that the key problem in the dialogue for the normalization of relations with Serbia is the "blow to good faith", which, according to him, Belgrade has dealt him, adding that he does not expect any initiative for new meetings this year.

Konjufca, speaking to journalists in Brussels, where he participated in the meeting of foreign ministers of the European Union and the Western Balkans, said that the two attacks in Kosovo, the one in Banjska in 2023 and the one in the Iber-Lepenc canal in 2024, damaged the trust in the process of normalizing relations, which began in 2011 and is mediated by the EU.

"Regarding the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, I emphasized that the biggest problem is the blow to the good faith that has been inflicted on the dialogue by Serbia," he said.

Authorities have convicted three defendants for the attack on Kosovo Police in Banjska Zvecan, while dozens of others are at large. Milan Radoicic, the former vice-president of the Serbian List – the main Serb party in Kosovo that enjoys the support of Belgrade – has admitted responsibility for organizing the attack, while Kosovo has repeatedly demanded that Serbia extradite him.

Meanwhile, the trial of the three defendants is underway for the explosion in the vital Ibër-Lepenc canal in Kosovo.

For both attacks, Serbia has denied involvement.

"How can we sit down and negotiate with a party that, while we are sitting at the dialogue table, behind our backs they organize actions that attack Kosovo's territorial integrity and sovereignty. So, for dialogue to happen, trust is needed, and gaining trust is not easy because it has suffered serious blows, especially with these two attacks that we have seen," said Konjufca.

The last meeting at the leadership level between Kosovo and Serbia took place in September 2023, a few days before the attack in Banjska, when a Kosovo policeman was killed. Three Serbian attackers were also killed during the exchange of fire.

Konjufca said that EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas and the 27 member states expressed their readiness to help build trust, but added that because the country is in the electoral process, and Serbia is also expected to hold new elections, she does not expect any initiative for a new meeting soon.

"Let's see in 2027 how things will develop, but due to developments I do not expect anything, nor any European initiative very focused in these remaining months of the year," he said.

Meanwhile, Konjufca's Serbian counterpart, Marko Djuric, said earlier in the day that in the first part of the meeting, the fact was recalled that the Association of Serb-majority Municipalities in Kosovo has not yet been formed, even though it was an obligation signed in Brussels.

Djuric said that Kosovo representatives have tried to blame Serbia for various regional problems and have constantly portrayed it as a source of instability.

Kosovo and Serbia agreed on the Association in 2013 and it is also mentioned in the Agreement on the Path to Normalization of Relations, which Kosovo and Serbia accepted in 2023.

However, this association has not yet been formed.

Meanwhile, earlier in the day, speaking about the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, EU diplomacy chief Kaja Kallas said that the frequent election cycles in Kosovo are the reason that, for a long time, there has not been a new round of dialogue between Pristina and Belgrade, at the leadership level.

She told reporters that there is a willingness from both the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vu?i?, and the acting Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, for a meeting within the framework of the dialogue, but that the announcement of new early elections in Kosovo has again postponed the process.

"We, in fact, had planned the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina - a high-level political dialogue. We had the consent of both leaders - from Kosovo and from Serbia - but now the elections in Kosovo are approaching again, which of course postpones the process," she said.

"I, however, am working separately with both parties so that we can continue with the implementation of the agreements that are already in force," Kallas added.

Konjufca said that in the meeting with EU and regional counterparts, he also discussed the security situation. He reiterated the position of the authorities in Kosovo that the biggest threat to Pristina is "the policies of the Serbian state", while also repeating the accusations that Serbia finances groups, such as the one during the attack in Banjska, to destabilize Kosovo.

Among the threats, Konjufca also mentioned Russian influence in the Western Balkans.

"At the same time, I made it known that a Russian influence is observed coming to the Western Balkans precisely through Serbia, because Serbia in the Western Balkans is a clearer base that is used by Russia to spread hybrid warfare and attempts to destabilize the Western Balkans," he said.

Konjufca said that these concerns must be addressed together with the EU, in order to "close the final door" to Russia for "destabilizing this vital part of the EU."

A report published earlier this year by US intelligence services states that the Western Balkans remains an area of ??heightened political tensions and external influences, highlighting Russia's role in destabilizing the region.

According to him, Russia "foments instability between Serbia, which it favors, and Kosovo", but also "supports the separation of the Serbian entity, Republika Srpska, from Bosnia and Herzegovina"./REL