The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora of Kosovo will take over the management of the dialogue on the normalization of relations with Serbia, which has been taking place under the auspices of the European Union for the past several years, the Kosovo ministry announced.
This significant change in the negotiation structure was confirmed after the meeting of the Kosovo Minister of Foreign Affairs, Glauk Konjufca, with the EU Special Representative for Dialogue, Peter Sorensen, held in Pristina.
During the meeting, Konjufca officially informed the European envoy that the dialogue process will now be under the direct authority of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora. Until now, reminds Radio Slobodna Europa, the process at the political level was led by the office of Prime Minister Albin Kurti, while the main negotiator at the technical level was Deputy Prime Minister Besnik Bislimi.
“The current dynamics of the dialogue were discussed, as well as the approaches and principles needed to ensure a more efficient and sustainable process. Kosovo remains committed to seeing the dialogue as an opportunity to improve good-neighborly relations with Serbia, as two sovereign states on a common path to European integration,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora of Kosovo said in a statement.
Although the change in the institution leading the process has been confirmed, it remains unclear whether Minister Konjufc will personally take on the role of chief negotiator in Brussels or whether a new coordinator within the ministry will be appointed.
This institutional reorganization comes at a time of deadlock in the implementation of the 2023 Ohrid Agreement, which the European Union insists is legally binding on both sides, despite the lack of official signatures.
Meetings at a high political level have not been held since September 2023, and the change of the negotiating team in Pristina could signal a new approach by Kosovo in an attempt to unblock the process.
