Milic: The issue of the dinar emerges as the topic of the new round of dialogue; Pristina buys time over the CSM

There is currently no announcement from Brussels regarding a new round of negotiations between Belgrade and Pristina, and political analyst Dimitrije Milic from the New Third Way believes that when it does happen, the agenda will likely revolve around current issues such as the use of the dinar on the territory of Kosovo, while he does not expect the draft statute of the Community of Serb Municipalities to return to the table as a topic at this moment.

Last week, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic stated in Munich that he expected a call to Brussels "in the coming days." However, European Commission spokesperson Peter Stano subsequently announced that the EU "has nothing on which to base a high-level dialogue."

If Brussels schedules a meeting between the two sides in the near future, according to Milic, despite existing agreed-upon points not being implemented, the dinar will still be the most pressing issue, because, as he suggests, the intensity of recent escalatory events brings forth new topics.

"It's always a question of the extent and results of the discussions because I assume that even the Kosovo side isn't currently too keen on making concessions, given the upcoming European Parliament elections, which will halt EU operations for a significant period. I don't believe the CSM will return as a topic because, in politics, when you lack power, you buy time. Regarding the Kosovo side, they're buying time and waiting for better circumstances. In practice, the situation is becoming more difficult for the other side, so decisions are only made when pressured, which isn't the case at the moment. Therefore, I don't believe the CSM will return as a central issue in the dialogue," Milic says.

Although there haven't been high-level trilateral dialogue meetings for several months, Milic doesn't rule out the possibility of such a meeting happening by May, with Aleksandar Vucic and Albin Kurti sitting at the same table alongside European mediators.

"It could happen by May if the EU invests some of its political capital. I believe a high-level meeting is possible because it would be beneficial from the EU's perspective to send a message that despite tensions and disagreements, there must be continuous dialogue at the highest level," Milic says.

Kosovo's Deputy Prime Minister, Besnik Bislimi, stated yesterday that he had received an invitation from Brussels for a meeting regarding the new regulation of the Central Bank of Kosovo on the dinar but that he had refused to participate. According to him, it is not a meeting that the chief negotiator should attend because "the dinar issue is not part of the dialogue," and he will see who will attend.