Hoti: Kaja Kallas’ role is key to the future of the dialogue

Professor of International Relations at the University of Pristina, Afrim Hoti, told Kosovo Online that Miroslav Lajcak had not maintained a neutral position regarding the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina. He believes that Lajcak’s successor should come from a country with greater influence within the EU and emphasizes that the key role will belong to the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas.

“When Mr. Lajcak was appointed as mediator, my personal opinion was that he would not be successful for two reasons. The first is that he comes from a country that does not hold a significant position in the EU. The second reason is that Lajcak demonstrated that he is not a neutral figure. He was Slovakia's foreign minister and voted against Kosovo's admission to UNESCO a few years ago, so it was clear that Mr. Lajcak would not maintain a neutral position in the negotiations,” Hoti said.

Although he had doubts about Lajcak’s neutrality, Hoti acknowledges that he achieved some success.

“In any case, we must say that he was successful, at least in leading the process and reaching an agreement between Kosovo Prime Minister Kurti and Serbian President Vucic. In that sense, I think this was Mr. Lajcak’s greatest achievement,” Hoti emphasized.

Speaking about the future of the dialogue, Hoti outlined two possible scenarios for the EU’s next steps.

“The first is that the EU will appoint a person from a country that recognizes Kosovo’s independence, but primarily from a country with influence and power within the EU. That would be the first scenario,” Hoti said.

However, he added, the second scenario is more likely.

“I believe that due to the truly complicated nature of the issue, the EU will choose the second scenario, which means that the dialogue will be directly led by Ms. Kallas. So there will be no mediator at all,” Hoti concluded.