Pavkovic: Without the support of Germany and the US, Lajcak has no mechanisms to bring Kurti back to the negotiating table

Milos Pavkovic, a collaborator of the Center for European Policy, tells Kosovo Online that the visit of the European Union's Special Envoy for the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, Miroslav Lajcak, to Kosovo, was meant to send a message about the seriousness of the situation, but that Kosovo's Prime Minister Albin Kurti is uninterested in dialogue, Belgrade, or Lajcak.

Pavkovic reminds that Kurti already rejected an invitation for dialogue in July, and now the question arises, he says, of how Lajcak can persuade Kurti to sit at the negotiating table when it is evident that he has chosen a path of unilateral actions.

“He is uninterested in dialogue, Belgrade, or Lajcak,” Pavkovic asserted.

“The visit to Pristina was supposed to send a message about the seriousness of the situation, and perhaps, with the support of certain EU member states and their diplomatic missions, as well as UNMIK and KFOR, he could attempt to speak with Kurti and convince him. However, there is a big question as to how successful that meeting will be. This will primarily depend on the level of pressure that Kosovo's partners, particularly Germany and the US, exert on Kurti to return to the negotiating table,” Pavkovic said.

Pavkovic claims that Lajcak alone, without the support of key players, lacks the mechanisms to convince the Pristina government to return to negotiations with Belgrade and Brussels and to stop the unilateral actions it is currently pursuing.

“This current crisis in the dialogue significantly affects not only Lajcak’s credibility and integrity as a negotiator but also the European Union’s, which has been mediating the dialogue for over 10 years, with varying degrees of success – more successful than not, I would say. Now, all of that is in question if Lajcak is rejected for a third time by the Kosovo authorities to participate in the dialogue,” Pavkovic emphasized.

He also reminds that Lajcak’s mandate is nearing its end and that he wants to secure something tangible before his role as a special representative concludes.

“Lajcak is under pressure and wants, at all costs, to ensure some success in the dialogue,” Pavkovic concluded.