Czech Minister: Normalization of Relations between Serbia and Kosovo Key to Their Membership in EU

Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavski (Photo: Serbian Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavski said on Oct. 11, ahead of a visit to Serbia, that the situation in Kosovo and relations between Belgrade-Pristina affected the security of the entire region, and that the key to finding a solution was the constructive and responsible engagement of the authorities in Belgrade and Pristina in the EU-mediated Dialogue to normalize their relations.

“Among other things, it means respect for and the implementation of the agreements reached within the Dialogue so far, particularly the 2023 Agreement on the path to normalization and its Implementation Annex adopted in Ohrid,” Lipavski said in an interview with the Danas daily.

Lipavski also said that he expected the full normalization of relations between Serbia and Kosovo, because “this is a crucial condition for their integration into the European Union.” The minister also said that the Czech Republic fully supported the Union’s engagement and mediation in the Dialogue, and that it had no ambition to become directly involved in the mediation process.

Lipavski said that his visit to Belgrade, as well as to Bosnia and Herzegovina on Oct. 10, expressed his country’s long-term interest in, and support for the aspirations of the Western Balkans to join the EU. When asked to what extent Belgrade’s close relationship with Moscow affected the Czech Republic’s relationship with Serbia and its path to the EU, Lipavski said that Serbia, as a candidate state “must align with the EU in a number of areas, including foreign and security policy, and to abide by the principles and values that the members of the EU share.”