The dialogue between Serbia and Kosovo will continue in Brussels on Thursday, but the authorities in Belgrade believe that the talks do not make much sense and the most that can be done is to remove threats of conflict, reports the German daily Deutsche Welle, citing the opinions of analysts in Belgrade.
The Brussels portal Politiko writes that the round of dialogue comes at a time of high tension between Pristina and Belgrade and “a renewed conflict that has caused fears that the two sides could go to war.”
European diplomatic officials in Brussels told the Beta Agency that both the European Union and the USA believe that the dialogue between the leaders of Serbia and Kosovo must yield some results.
On Beta news agency’s remark that Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti stated that the focus of the dialogue could only be mutual recognition of Kosovo and Serbia and that he would not discuss the dispute over car license plates and identity cards, while Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić underlines that there can be no progress without the implementation of the Brussels Agreement and the formation of the Community of Serbian municipalities, European diplomats retorted that “neither the EU nor the US thinks that the Dialogue can be thwarted.”
Kosovar Prime Minister Kurti gave interviews to several European newspapers and thus told the Italian newspaper Repubblica that “the danger of war is looming, and that Putin is backing up Serbia.”
The Spanish daily El Periodico believes that “Kosovo is a pebble in NATO’s shoe…and a poorly resolved issue, like Bosnia and Herzegovina, chained by the Dayton Agreement that stopped the conflict but created an unmanageable Frankenstein.”
According to the Deutsche Welle report, Kurti is preparing to go to Brussels to discuss mutual recognition, and Vučić is preparing to discuss the Union of Serbian Municipalities (USO) in Brussels, so it is difficult to expect any more tangible results from this round of dialogue.
The Albanian side, Deutsche Welle adds, is trying to take advantage of a more favourable geopolitical situation with its latest provocative moves.
Due to refusing to impose sanctions against Russia, Serbia has aroused suspicion in the West and is seen as a kind of silent ally of Russia, which Pristina is trying to use to its advantage and change the situation on the ground, German daily indicates.
Deutsche Welle also cites the opinion of analysts in Belgrade that the Russian card was always used in Pristina in order to get additional support in the West.
In Washington seems willing to support the formation of the Union of Serbian Municipalities, say the interlocutors of Deutsche Welle in Belgrade, but they note that the Albanian side refuses to implement it and no one is putting pressure on it to do so, which is the position of both the opposition and the authorities in Belgrade.
(Nedeljnik.rs, 15.08.2022)
https://www.nedeljnik.rs/mediji-u-eu-nista-od-dijaloga-beograda-i-pristine-samo-da-se-spreci-rat/