Lajcak: We Hoped for a Better Outcome of the Visit to Pristina, Belgrade, Tensions Still Run High

Miroslav Lajcak, Belgrade, Feb.6 2023 (BETAPHOTO/MILOS MISKOV)

The European Union’s special representative for the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue, Miroslav Lajcak, and the U.S. envoy for the Western Balkans, Gabriel Escobar, who visited Pristina and Belgrade last week to identify a political solution for the ongoing crisis in the north of Kosovo, said they were hoping for a better result, but that positive signals notwithstanding, tensions were still running high. 

Lajcak said that he would inform the EU about the results of the visits and suggest the next steps, adding that he would continue his efforts to facilitate and support a durable political solution. 

The EU envoy said on Facebook that Escobar and he “shared with Kosovo leaders concern over the situation in the north, underlining the need for prompt de-escalation.” 

“As no solution can be reached without involving the affected population, Escobar and I met with representatives of the Serb Ticket party and civil society as well, in order to hear from them and explain to them why it’s important for the Serbs in Kosovo to take part in the next election,” Lajcak explained. 

The EU representative described talks with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic in Belgrade as “equally long, yet not at all easy,” adding that they “explained to him how he should contribute to finding a way out of the ongoing crisis, dealing also with the complex situation the Serbs in Kosovo are in.”