Lajcak: Talks Weren't Straightforward, but We're One Step Closer to Normalization between Belgrade, Pristina

Miroslav Lajcak (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

Miroslav Lajcak, the European Union's special envoy to the Belgrade-Pristina dialog, has posted on Facebook that the Aug. 27 negotiating session in Brussels, a part of the continued expert-level dialog, had not been "straightforward," but was a step closer to normalization of relations.

Lajcak reported late on Aug. 27 that the talks with Serbian representative Marko Djuric and Kosovo negotiator Skender Hyseni had lasted several hours.

"Our negotiations lasted several hours and were by no means straightforward. But they generated constructive dialog and brought us a step closer to the ultimate goal of the Belgrade-Pristina dialog, which is the normalization of relations between Serbia and Kosovo," Lajcak's post read.

Djuric, head of the Serbian government's Office for Kosovo and Metohija, described the talks in Brussels as "unpleasant" as the Serbian delegation had to endure "cynical claims" from the delegation led by Skender Hyseni, coordinator of Pristina's negotiating team.

Hyseni, in turn, called Serbia unconstructive and said its representatives had gone back to "elements" which had been agreed on in principle earlier.

Early in September (Sept. 6), talks at the expert level between Belgrade and Pristina are expected to resume in Brussels, while one day later they are slated to continue at the highest political level, between Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Kosovo Premier Avdullah Hoti. Before these encounters, there is a meeting scheduled in Washington for the top representatives of Belgrade and Pristina.