EU envoy Lajcak discusses Kosovo, integration with opposition

Media EU info

European Union envoy for the Kosovo dialogue Miroslav Lajcak met with part of the Serbian opposition to discuss the dialogue and the country’s European integration, opposition officials said on Thursday.

Democratic Party (DS) leader Zoran Lutovac said that Lajcak told them how far along the dialogue is and which direction it has taken. “He said that his framework for the dialogue is a normalization of relations and asked us about our views of the process and what we think normalization includes,” he said, adding that his party feels that standards have to be established before discussing status. Lutovac said that nice things are said in talks with officials from Brussels but that tensions rise as soon as they turn their backs.

People’s Party (NS) official Stefan Jovanovic said that the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue is “a process that has got stuck”. “We expressed concern over current relations between Belgrade and Pristina and Pristina’s unilateral actions,” he said, adding that Lajcak seemed to be pesimistic over the events in the past 24 hours.

We Must (Moramo) coalition official Dobrica Veselinovic said that crucial objections about the way the dialogue is being handled were voiced at the meeting. “One of those was the claim that there is no dialogue on important issues, including attitudes on Kosovo,” he said. “We pointed out one simple thing – we the citizens of Serbia and Kosovo have no links except by car. Regulated public transport – trains, buses – would ease the situation. I keep saying that we have to make life easier before dealing with complex issues,” he said.

Party of Freedom and Justice (SSP) leader Dragan Djilas did not speak to reporters after the meeting, choosing to issue a statement saying that Lajcak’s decision to include the opposition in his meetings on the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue and European integration process is a good thing.