Lajcak Says Had an Important Meeting with Kurti, Focusing on Normalization of Belgrade-Pristina Ties

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

The EU special representative for the Western Balkans, Miroslav Lajcak, has said he had an important meeting with Kosovo Premier Albin Kurti in Bled, Slovenia, as part of preparations for the next high-level meeting of the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, focusing on normalization of relations.

After meeting with Kurti on the sidelines of the Bled Strategic Forum, in the evening on Aug. 28, Lajcak said that the next meeting between Kurti and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic should be held in September. “Our primary topic of discussion were the preparations of the next High-level Meeting of the Dialogue in September with the focus on normalization of relations and the implementation of the EU statement of 3 June,” Lajcak wrote on his X account.

Kurti said he was ready to organize new local elections in North Kosovo in line with the agreement with Lajcak.

In an interview with Bloomberg in Bled, Kurti said that Kosovo and Serbia needed to pursue a deal to mend ties before their allies became preoccupied with elections in the U.S. and the EU. He also said that “there is this sense of urgency to implement the agreement and normalize relations between Kosovo and Serbia, centered on a mutual de-facto recognition, at the latest by spring next year.”