Muhaxhiri on meetings in Skopje: I expect pressures on Kurti and Vucic to be more constructive

An analyst from Pristina, Artan Muhaxhiri, says for Kosovo Online that the meeting of regional leaders in Skopje dedicated to the EU's Growth Plan for the Western Balkans, where, in addition to Brussels representatives, Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs James O'Brien will be present, is very important as it comes at a very specific moment when the dialogue is blocked. Muhaxhiri expects stronger pressures on Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti to be more constructive.

The analyst states that due to the elections held in Serbia, there is no significant dialogue because "President Vucic cannot engage and discuss important issues without the appropriate legitimacy of the final results of the Serbian elections", while, on the other hand, "Prime Minister Kurti has different views regarding the draft of the Community of Serb-majority Municipalities statute".

"In one moment he says he accepted the EU draft, and the next moment that he is ready to create another draft with his ministers. So, currently, there are many enigmas. I think this meeting is welcome to exert stronger pressure on Kurti and Vucic to be more constructive because, in the last year, we have seen that the leaders of Kosovo and Serbia have been much more politically destructive than constructive. This pressure, especially with the presence of James O'Brien, will be significant, especially considering the mentioned six billion euros in aid. This will intensify the pressure internally, both in Kosovo and in Serbia, for the leaders to continue with a more qualitative approach", Muhaxhiri says.

He emphasizes that the most important thing for the EU and the US is for Kosovo and Serbia to be on the same geopolitical and geostrategic path.

"There is a clear idea in the West, the EU and the US, to reach a final, historic agreement between Kosovo and Serbia because it is the best thing for Kosovo and Serbia. Without this agreement, tensions and problems will only escalate in the future. So, the most important thing is to achieve that agreement. Now, both Kurti and Vucic are populist politicians, and for them, it is better for this state of stagnation to continue. But, unfortunately, that is not good for the people of Kosovo and Serbia", Muhaxhiri says.

He believes that the most important message will be that there is no alternative to reaching a final agreement between Kosovo and Serbia.

"Anything else will be a terrible thing for the Balkans, for the people, for everyone. So, the problem is that we need more pressure, we need a firmer position. This is an election year, both in Europe and in the United States. So, there are many problems, and the dialogue should not be one of them", Muhaxhiri points out.