Lajcak on mayors in the north: I expect a solution to avoid escalation

The EU's special envoy for dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, Miroslav Lajcak, pointed out that the EU advocates that everything that affects the lives of both communities in Kosovo should be agreed upon and resolved in dialogue, and that there should be no unilateral moves that cause a negative reaction from the other community.

In Northern Mitrovica, Lajcak, when asked if he had talked to anyone about the withdrawal of special units from the north and the expropriation of land, said that the purpose of his stay in the north was to get information from the people who live there and how they see the situation.

"We talked about everything that is part of life and problems, and I heard many questions that represent a problem," said Lajcak and added that he talked about it this morning, and that these questions will continue to be discussed on Monday, May 15.

"Dialog is a real platform for solving problems and finding solutions," he added.

Asked by journalists to tell the Serbs in Kosovo in Serbian what the EU's position is on the dismissal of the Management Team for the CSM, regarding the opening of the bridge on the Ibar and land expropriation, Lajcak said that the EU has already expressed itself on all these issues.

"I can repeat that we advocate that everything that affects the life of both communities should be agreed upon in dialogue, that there are no unilateral moves that provoke a negative reaction from the other community. Dialogue has its potential, we should use it now, we have the plan, the normalization process, and that should be a priority for everyone," he said.

Answering the question of what expectations he has from the new mayors in the north of Kosovo, Lajcak says that he expects that a solution will be found that will not lead to an escalation of the situation, which, as he explains, means that political representatives who have authority are talking to the EU about how the matter will be solved.