Lajcak: De-escalation and normalization more urgent than ever, we will continue discussions soon

Miroslav Lajcak, the European Union Special Representative for the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, stated that de-escalation and the normalization of relations between Belgrade and Pristina were more urgent than ever.

Lajcak, who will report to the EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg today, alongside the EU High Representative Josep Borrell, on his visit to Pristina and Belgrade, where he met with envoys from France, Germany, and Italy, as well as the US envoy for the Western Balkans, Gabriel Escobar, emphasized on Facebook that the focus of his discussions with Kosovo's Prime Minister Albin Kurti and Serbia's President Aleksandar Vucic had been on advancing the normalization of relations and addressing the security situation in northern Kosovo.

"We discussed with President Vucic and Prime Minister Kurti how to advance the normalization of relations and make progress on the implementation of the Agreement on the Path to Normalization. The security situation in northern Kosovo was also a topic of discussion. We underlined to both leaders that the events of September 24 constitute a clear and unprecedented escalation, which also demonstrates that both de-escalation and normalization are now more urgent than ever," Lajcak noted.

The EU Special Representative added that during the visit, it had been emphasized that all those responsible for the events in Banjska must be brought to justice, and full cooperation from Serbia was expected in this regard.

"The events of September 24 don't change the fact that Kosovo and Serbia entered into the Agreement on the Path to Normalization earlier this year. In our discussions, we conveyed the expectation for Kosovo and Serbia to fully meet their Dialogue obligations. Any conditions or delays are unacceptable. I thank my partners for this visit, and we will continue our discussions soon," Lajcak stated.