Continuation of Serbia-Kosovo dialogue in Paris in two months

(Patria) - The leaders of the Western Balkan states, who gathered in Berlin at the invitation of German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron, concluded their meeting an hour before midnight - after five hours of talks.

In a statement to journalists after the meeting, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić announced that the talks between Belgrade and Priština, which were the focus of the summit, will be the topic of a new meeting, "in a narrower format, with the mediation of the EU, Germany and France," to be held in two months.

"There are no formal conclusions, nor was there a vote on anything, but rather an agreement. The next opportunity for a discussion on the continuation of the dialogue will be on July 1 or 2 in Paris, ahead of the Berlin Process meeting in Poznań, and after the European elections," Vučić announced, Al Jazeera reported.

According to Kosovo media reports, the working dinner was prolonged because Macron insisted on progress by Balkan states on the path towards the European Union.

On the other hand, Koha writes, Kosovo Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj came under strong pressure to abolish tariffs on goods from Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, as a precondition for the continuation of the dialogue with Belgrade.

Radio Free Europe earlier had insight into a draft joint declaration, which was supposed to be adopted during the evening and which "emphasised the importance of an agreement on the complete normalisation of relations between Kosovo and Serbia for the stability of the region and the European perspective of those two states."

According to the draft, the participants of the meeting "agree that any agreement of this kind must be comprehensive, politically sustainable and must contribute to regional stability."

"Serbia and Kosovo have agreed to accelerate efforts on the implementation of existing agreements and to re-engage constructively in the EU-mediated dialogue on the normalisation of relations, with the aim of reaching a comprehensive and final agreement," the draft declaration states.

The informal meeting of German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron with Western Balkan leaders began late in the afternoon.
Before the meeting, the two leaders stated that the summit aims to provide "an additional impulse for the stability of the region," and that the focus of the talks will be on the relationship between Belgrade and Priština, Al Jazeera reporter Marko Subotić reported.

Even before the meeting began, participants said they did not expect concrete solutions, but rather an open discussion.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel stated at the gathering dedicated to the Western Balkans in Berlin that a final solution for Kosovo and Serbia "cannot be to the detriment of others in the region."

Before the start of the gathering, she emphasised that the conference, which was an initiative, in no way intends to replace the Berlin Process or the negotiations being conducted between Serbia and Kosovo. She assessed that it is an event where all challenges will be discussed sincerely and openly.

Co-host of the gathering, Emmanuel Macron, also stated that tonight there will be an open discussion about "all options that are on the table" regarding Serbia and Kosovo.

"We do not intend to impose a solution on Belgrade and Priština. We want to consider all options but also to avoid possible new tensions in the region that could arise due to the existing options on the table," Macron said.