Vučić asks Sorensen for more active EU engagement in Kosovo-Serbia dialogue

2026-02-25 14:06:39, Kosova & Bota CNA

Vu?i? asks Sorensen for more active EU engagement in Kosovo-Serbia dialogue

Serbian President Aleksandar Vu?i? announced that he met in Belgrade with the European Union's special representative for the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia, Peter Sorensen, to continue the dialogue with a more active engagement of the bloc.

"I am convinced that it is in the interest of all parties to avoid actions that would lead to further escalation and, with the mediation of the EU, to insist on the full implementation of the obligations undertaken and on maintaining peace and stability on the ground," Vu?i? wrote on his Instagram account on February 25.

During the meeting with the European envoy, Vu?i? reiterated his criticism of the cooperation between Kosovo, Albania and Croatia in the field of security and defense, emphasizing that this "further increases tensions and endangers the security of the Serbian people."

Kosovo, Albania and Croatia signed a declaration in March last year stating that the three countries would cooperate to strengthen security and stability in Southeast Europe, with Vu?i? describing this as a "military and offensive alliance against Serbs and Serbia", which was denied by Pristina, Tirana and Zagreb.

Vu?i? also "expressed concern" regarding the Law on Foreigners and the Law on Vehicles, the full implementation of which in Kosovo is expected to begin on March 15.

The full implementation of the Law on Foreigners may affect the functioning of health and educational institutions in Kosovo that operate under the Serbian system, as persons who do not possess Kosovo documents must obtain a work permit or license to practice the activity, for which the application is submitted to the Kosovo Employment Agency.

The EU has previously stated to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty that the status of health and education structures and services supported by Serbia in Kosovo will be addressed within the framework of the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, in accordance with the agreements reached and the laws in force in Kosovo.

Before visiting Belgrade, Peter Sorensen stayed in Pristina, where after meetings with Kosovar officials, he stated that the focus of the talks was on advancing the normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia.

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti said after the meeting that Kosovo remains committed to normalizing relations with Serbia, through mutual recognition.

Meanwhile, Kosovo's chief diplomat, Glauk Konjufca, informed Sorensen that the Kosovo Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora will lead the dialogue process for the normalization of relations with Serbia, which began in 2011.

However, the MFA did not say exactly whether Konjufca will be at the helm of this process.

Reacting to the MFA's announcement, the head of the Office for Kosovo in the Serbian Government, Petar Petkovic, said that "Pristina's negotiator in the dialogue, regardless of the personnel selection, is exclusively a representative of the provisional institutions of self-government in Pristina" - a formulation that Belgrade, which does not recognize Kosovo's independence, uses for the institutions of the neighboring state.

Meanwhile, an expert on political developments in Kosovo, Artan Muhaxhiri, told Radio Free Europe that he believes that the MFA's taking over the leadership of the dialogue marks a "new momentum", but warned that everything in this process will depend on "the willingness to make compromises and be realistic".

Dialogue, he said, should be the main project of the Kosovo Government in the coming months.

In recent years, Kosovo and Serbia have held a series of rounds of dialogue at the level of chief negotiators, but there have been no high-level political meetings since September 2023.

At that time, the last round of high-level dialogue took place just days before the armed attack in Banjska, Zvecan, when a group of armed Serbs killed a Kosovo policeman. Kosovo blames Serbia for the attack, but Belgrade denies any involvement.

Over a decade of dialogue, Kosovo and Serbia have reached a series of agreements, but not all of them have been implemented on the ground.

In 2023, the parties reached the Agreement on the Path to Normalization, also known as the Ohrid Agreement, but the EU has said that it has not yet been implemented.

Although this agreement has not been signed, according to the European bloc, it is binding on both parties./REL