Lajçak: I appreciate Osman's recommendations for the implementation of the Ohrid Agreement

2024-09-28 14:02:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Lajçak: I appreciate Osman's recommendations for the implementation

The European special envoy for the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, Miroslav Lajçak, said that he appreciates the opinions and recommendations of the president of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani, on how Kosovo and Serbia should implement the agreement for the normalization of relations between them.

He said that he met with President Osmani in New York to discuss the current situation in the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia.

Lajçak, however, did not explain what Osman's thoughts or recommendations were for the implementation of the EU-brokered agreement.

Both Osmani and Lajcak were in the US this week, where world leaders gathered for the United Nations General Assembly. The European emissary also met with the Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, in New York, where together with him and the US Assistant Secretary of State for Europe and Eurasia, James O'Brien, they discussed the dialogue.

Kosovo and Serbia reached the Basic Agreement in Brussels on the way to the normalization of relations and then the Annex for its implementation in Ohrid at the beginning of 2023.

It has remained unimplemented since then, however, even though the European Union says the agreement is binding on both sides.

Kosovo insists that this agreement be signed first, even though the EU says that it is binding regardless of the signature, while Serbia has expressed reservations about its full implementation.

The agreement consisting of 11 articles, among other things, foresees a level of self-management for the Serbian community in Kosovo, mutual recognition of state symbols, so that Serbia does not block Kosovo's membership in international organizations, and requires Pristina and Belgrade to implement them , as well as all previous agreements reached during the dialogue.

Kosovo and Serbia have been holding dialogue for the normalization of relations, under the mediation of the EU, since 2011. This process is also strongly supported by the USA.

Recently, the USA has asked Kosovo and Serbia to take seriously the dialogue for the normalization of relations.

The recent rounds of dialogue at the level of the chief negotiators have not yielded concrete results, until in the most recent one on September 17, the chief negotiators did not hold a tripartite meeting due to the disagreements they had on the topics of discussion.

Meanwhile, the last round of dialogue at a high political level between the Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, and the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vu?i?, was held in September last year./ REL