The Special Representative for Belgrade-Pristina Negotiations and Regional Issues in the Western Balkans, Miroslav Lajčak, met with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic. The meeting at Villa Mir comes after a two-day visit by the High Representative to Pristina.

Lajčak reminded that the EU is a facilitator in the process of negotiations on the normalization of relations between Belgrade and Pristina and that it is there to help, but what normalization itself means should be defined by Belgrade and Pristina.

“We think that normalization is in the interest of every citizen, but the EU is here to help, we are not here to force anyone to do anything. We cannot want normalization more than Serbia and Kosovo*. The United Nations has chosen to support this process. Because one goal is normalization, and the other goal is the European future, the goal is to bring Serbia closer to membership in the European Union, and the same is true for Kosovo,” said Lajčak, who estimates that some progress has been made in the last four months.

“We agreed on the issue of missing persons, on issues related to economic cooperation, and now we are dealing with serious and sensitive issues – financial claims, real estate, property, the Union of Serbian Municipalities. The key issue is that in the end, there should be no unresolved issues. Everything that was agreed must be fulfilled. I spent two days in Pristina and the key conclusion is that the dialogue continues,” Lajčak said.

President Vučić emphasizes that the European future is very important for Serbia.
“It is not a phrase, but it is important because of more investments and values ​​that we fight for and stand for, and because Serbia’s position in the world will be stronger, the closer we are to full membership in the EU. Serbia’s path to the EU is significantly determined by the progress that has been made with Pristina. We are open to all topics, but we will insist on the full implementation of the Brussels Agreement. Whatever the conversations, whether they used to be complicated or not, it is better to have them than not to talk. When we don’t talk, then there can be incidents. That is not in anyone’s interest “, concluded the President of Serbia, who points out that the Albanian side did not fulfil everything that was agreed by the Brussels Agreement.
President Vučić also mentioned that Serbia remains committed to dialogue and the desire to reach a compromise solution in order to create better relations between Serbs and Albanians.
Since the appointment of Miroslav Lajčak as Special Representative for the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue, three meetings at the highest political level and several technical meetings have been held.
* This designation is without prejudice to positions on status and is in line with United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244 and the opinion of the International Court of Justice on Kosovo’s declaration of independence.