Lajcak, Escobar: Future of Serbia, Kosovo Lies in European Union

Escobar, Lajcak (BETAPHOTO/SERBIAN GOVERNMENT/SLOBODAN MILJEVIC/MO)

Special envoys of the United States and the European Union (EU) for the Belgrade-Pristina talks, Gabriel Escobar and Miroslav Lajcak, said in an interview with the Kurir daily published on Sept. 17 that the future of Serbia and Kosovo was in the Union, and that the dialogue was a mechanism that led to a comprehensive agreement.

Lajcak underlined that the dialogue was the way for both sides to reach the EU, and that “a comprehensive normalization agreement is necessary, as the status quo is unsustainable.” “It is very important to overcome the current stage, in which we talk with the two leaders on a nearly daily basis, simply to avoid deeper tensions and start discussing the big picture,” Lajcak said.

The EU envoy noted that accession to the Union would not be possible for Serbia and Kosovo if they failed to normalize their ties. “I believe that we need to step away from the narrative that Kosovo is Serbia and head to a new one, that Kosovo and Serbia are Europe. You have a shared future which is quickly moving away from the problems of the 1990s and to the opportunities of the 21st century,” Escobar said. The U.S. envoy said he believed the Western Balkans were able to be a driving force behind economic growth, which should be the focus.