Gazeta Express has learned that Western powers including the U.S., Great Britain, France, Italy, and Germany, have convened in Washington to discuss modalities of the final phase of Kosovo-Serbia dialogue.
A source told Gazeta Express that representatives of the five most powerful Western countries have gathered in Washington to consult on the Kosovo-Serbia negotiations. In this meeting the European countries are being represented at the level of political directors for Balkans whereas the U.S. by its State Department official dealing with Balkans. “Political directors for Western Balkans of UK, Germany, France, and Italy are already in Washington to discuss Kosovo-Serbia dialogue,” an unnamed source told Express.
Presidents of Kosovo and Serbia who are leading the EU-facilitating dialogue in Serbia have announced a final phase of the dialogue soon. Also the EU in its enlargement strategy published in February called on Kosovo and Serbia to launch a final phase of dialogue and reach a legally-binding agreement on normalisation of relations, which has been supported also by the U.S. Reportedly the final phase of the dialogue on normalisation of relations between Kosovo and Serbia will be intensive and expected to be concluded in 2019 at latest.
KoSSev: The President of Serbia confirmed this week for the Belgrade Courier that he hopes to sign a legally binding agreement with Pristina within six months to a year. The same he had previously stated to the British Guardian.
This week was also a diplomatically intensive for Aleksandar Vucic and Kosovo President Hashim Thaci.
Vucic met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Russia will "very actively and substantially participate in monitoring the entire process and relations between Belgrade and Pristina" and will also monitor the "influence of various international factors on this issue," Vucic said.
Thaci, on the other hand, said before the meeting with Angela Merkel that he expects greater engagement of Berlin, Brussels and Washington for an agreement between Kosovo and Serbia, and that he, from Merkel expects "guidelines, time and framework for Brussels talks“ .
Merkel, on the other hand, said that the agreements reached within the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue must be implemented, and that relations between Belgrade and Pristina are "a major issue on the European path of the two countries."
Vucic and Merkel also met last month when he said that a consensus of the great powers is needed for a permanent solution for the Kosovo issue.
Preuzimanje i objavljivanje tekstova sa portala KoSSev nije dozvoljeno bez navođenja izvora. Hvala na poštovanju etike novinarske profesije.
