Lajcak: Elections in the north - a landmine we stepped on; I am not biased in the dialogue

The Special Envoy of the European Union for the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, Miroslav Lajcak, said that the elections in four municipalities in the north of Kosovo in April had been a "landmine", which was why the focus in relations between the two sides was not on normalization, but on solving the crisis, the Albanian Post reported.

For Lajcak, the accord to reach an agreement in Brussels on February 27, and then in Ohrid on March 18, is a historic moment, but, he says, the path to its implementation is undermined.

"The extraordinary elections in April in the northern municipalities were one of the mines and unfortunately we stepped on it. Currently, our focus is not on normalization, but on crisis management," Lajcak stated in an interview with the Vienna Kurier.

When asked about criticism that he was biased in the dialogue, he answered that impartiality was his priority.

"The relations between the EU and Serbia are complex, as are the relations between the EU and Kosovo. Impartial work is my priority," Lajcak said.

He also stated that the five EU countries that did not recognize the independence of Kosovo were closely following the epilogue of the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia.

"Whatever the result will be, it will affect them. But everyone wants the normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia and supports the March agreement," Lajcak notes.

He added that both Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic understood how important and at the same time difficult the dialogue process was.

"Both Kurti and Vucic know that everything they agree on will be carefully monitored by the citizens. Due to this pressure, it took them time to develop a working relationship. I remember that the first meeting in 2021 was not easy. Then they learned to listen to each other and respectfully disagree, instead of insulting. Now we are returning to crisis management," Lajcak said.