Farizi: The EU wants peace on the continent at any cost, Belgrade-Pristina negotiations must continue

Political analyst Lulzim Farizi states for Kosovo Online that the main message of the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, during her visit to the region will be that Kosovo and Serbia must cooperate and continue negotiations under the EU's auspices.

He believes that von der Leyen's visit to the region will send a clear message that the European Union continues to support Serbia, Kosovo, North Macedonia, as well as Albania and Montenegro together, "as countries that are either in the process of joining the EU or are waiting for negotiations to begin."

"So, the message in Belgrade and Pristina will be along those lines, that the two countries need to cooperate and overcome the issue of Kosovo's recognition. I think the main message will be to continue negotiations under EU sponsorship and to be able to overcome the issue that has stagnated for some time, especially since Kosovo is already entering the phase of preparations for elections to be held in February," Farizi says.

He adds that during this period, the Prime Minister of Kosovo will not engage in negotiations.

"Her message will be in that direction, that the negotiations between the two sides remain active to find a solution. The positions of the two sides are very different, but the EU's pressure will increase, considering regional problems such as the war between Ukraine and Russia, and the Middle East. The EU wants to maintain peace on the continent at all costs, especially in countries that are EU members and in the Western Balkans, to prevent future problems," our interlocutor says.

According to him, Kosovo has recently faced issues with procedures in the Fund, specifically in terms of material aid to Kosovo, "because it is conditionally said that it is under EU sanctions due to the possibility that the EU misunderstood the foreign policy of the Government of Kosovo."

"It may also be the EU's tactic to bring Belgrade closer, with the goal of moving closer to EU membership. We can see that Serbia's foreign policy strategy has already changed in the last two or three years, as Vucic stated that he would not participate in the BRICS Summit organized in Russia. So, it has already changed; Serbia is no longer determined to align with the East at all costs but is starting to take positions toward the EU, because the benefits are greater, especially in terms of accessing existing EU funds along with Albania and Montenegro. I think the economic benefit for Serbia will be significant," Farizi assesses.

Answering the question of whether sanctions against Kosovo are an obstacle to the disbursement of funds from the Growth Plan, Farizi points out that even though there are EU sanctions against Kosovo, "in the future, this will begin to ease as positions between Kosovo and Serbia soften."