On the anniversary of independence, Blinken avoided Kurti and Osmani; meeting only with Vucic - a message to Pristina

Gabriel Escobar's message that "the CSM will be formed with or without Kurti" was apparently not taken seriously enough in Pristina, so a new one followed - on the anniversary of Kosovo's self-proclaimed independence, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met in Munich with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and the meeting with Albin Kurti and Vjosa Osmani did not happen.

"America has taken an active role in the dialogue, invested its influence and political credibility, and will certainly not allow Kurti to blackmail it, so it is not surprising that State Secretary Antony Blinken did not meet with Vjosa Osmani and Albin Kurti in Munich," retired diplomat Zoran Milivojevic says for Kosovo Online.

According to Milivojevic, this is a continuation of the US's pragmatic policy and recognition of the situation on the ground.

"The meeting in Munich, not mentioning the mutual recognition and the messages that followed the meeting with Vucic, as well as the support for Serbia's European path, show the constructive attitude of the US. Of course, this does not mean a change of attitude on the part of Washington, but it means an appreciation of the fact that Serbia is key in the region, and unlike some European countries, primarily Great Britain and Germany, the US behaves pragmatically," Milivojevic says.

When asked how Pristina would interpret the fact that "Blinken met with Vucic on the anniversary of Kosovo's self-proclaimed independence" and what message had been sent, Milivojevic says the following.

"Even before that, they received a serious message when Escobar clearly said that the CSM would be formed with or without Kurti. Obviously, they are looking for an alternative to him, for the last six months; representatives of all major opposition parties have paraded through Washington. Obviously, they are looking for an alternative to Kurti.

Macron at the meeting with Vucic, for Kurti the head of the diplomacy

French President Emmanuel Macron was seen at a meeting with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic together with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, but at the tripartite meeting with Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti, French diplomat Catherine Colonna was the representative of France, Demokracia writes.

Lawyer Milan Antonijevic points out for Kosovo Online that "diplomacy is the skill of sending messages that are not necessarily in words, but also in actions, that is, meetings that are organized or not organized".

"The US insists on the formation of the Community of Serb-majority Municipalities, and this is the message they conveyed to Kosovo officials on several occasions, including at the meeting last year, in September, when Secretary Blinken met in Washington with Vjosa Osmani and Albin Kurti. It is good for Serbia that meeting at such a high level at the Munich Security Conference also happened and that Blinken's message, after the meeting with President Vucic, was open support for the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina and the constructive position of Serbia in those difficult negotiations. We should not ignore the support that Blinken gave to Serbia towards the European Union and Serbia's attitude towards the war in Ukraine. This speaks of the relations between Serbia and the US which are on the rise".

President of the Congress of Serbian-American Friendship Vladimir Marinkovic told Kosovo Online that this was not the first time that "Blinken did not want to meet with Kurti, and that it is an open secret that Macron is not in favor of the aggressive attitude of the Kosovo Albanians regarding regional stability".

"This represents the continuity of American policy. When Kurti was in the US last year in May, Blinken also did not want to receive him, and he was offered to meet with Escobar, which he refused. This is the message of the official American administration and what kind of position they have towards Albin Kurti, so we are expecting a very hot spring and summer in terms of internal politics in Pristina. Do you think the conflict with Abazi was accidental? When it comes to Macron, I think the very fact that he skipped the meeting with Kurti speaks volumes.” Marinkovic says.