Gogic: Belgrade acts as a more constructive party when it comes to accepting the Franco-German proposal

In the negotiations regarding the Franco-German proposal, for now Belgrade has seemed to be a more constructive party, because it accepted the discussion on the proposal, probably knowing what position Pristina will take, political scientist Ognjen Gogic told Danas, commenting on Albin Kurti's statement that the so-called EU proposal should also contain mutual recognition of Belgrade and Pristina, because this is the only way to normalize relations between Serbia and Kosovo.

According to Gogic, Kurti announced that he would make demands from his side, because the formation of the Community of Serb-majority Municipalities has not been the only unfulfilled agreement.

"In this way, he can hinder the negotiations in order to force the inclusion of provisions in the agreement that are more reminiscent of elemental recognition. It should be borne in mind that the negotiations on this proposal did not begin with the visits of the "big four" to Pristina and Belgrade, but that they lasted months before that. It seems that the initial version of the proposal has undergone certain nuances and that it now meets Belgrade's expectations to a much greater extent," Gogic points out.

He adds that the proposal available in the media effectively freezes the issue of status.

"Kurti's predecessors might have been ready to agree to an agreement that would imply at least implicit recognition of Kosovo by Serbia. Kurti, however, took the position that only explicit mutual recognition is possible. The existing proposal offers neither one nor the other," notes the political scientist.

According to Gogic, Pristina will not just accept the Franco-German proposal, especially since it is expected to fulfill the condition to establish the CSM.

"The outcome of that would be that the CSM is established in Kosovo and that the status continues to float in the air. That is unimaginable for Kurti," Gogic concludes.