Maliqi: The first obligation for the new Kosovo government in the dialogue will be the CSM

Analyst Shkelzen Maliqi said that the first obligation for the new Kosovo government regarding the dialogue with Belgrade will be the establishment of the Community of Serb Municipalities, adding that he interprets the statement by EU Special Envoy Peter Sorensen, who said that many things in this process are happening “behind the scenes,” as referring to the work of negotiating groups dealing with contentious issues.

“Two years ago, the entire package of agreements was completed. There were some agreements that had unresolved details, but the Ohrid and Brussels agreements provided a framework for gradually reaching solutions, as part of one package. There was very little left to do, and the negotiating groups were probably working on resolving contentious issues, for example on the question of missing persons and so on. Around 40 agreements are either being implemented or ready for implementation,” Maliqi told Kosovo Online.

According to him, the main topic is the Community of Serb-Majority Municipalities, around which, as he says, the biggest disputes occurred. In Maliqi’s view, Sorensen sees the CSM and the agreement on its formation as a done deal, meaning that now the two sides only need to be compelled to implement it.

“That was the main point of contention, however, there is an agreement, and the EU believes it simply needs to be implemented. But first because of elections in Serbia, and now because of elections in Kosovo, everything has been postponed. This suited both Vucic and Kurti to delay it... Kurti wanted to avoid forming the CSM while he was in power, as he had opposed it for 10 years. The likely first task of the new Kosovo government will be to begin implementing this agreement. In that sense, I understood Sorensen’s statement to mean that it is a done deal and that the two sides just need to be pushed to carry it out,” Maliqi added.

He emphasized that the EU may now be determined to “push the dialogue forward” and that there is plenty of material in this process for negotiations and solutions.

“We can see that the EU is determined to push processes forward in Bosnia, Montenegro, and across the region. There may be reason for optimism, even though many say the dialogue has failed. I have always believed there is enough material for negotiations and that this needs to be brought to a close somehow. It will not be ideal, but it will be better than what we have today,” Maliqi concluded.