Sljuka: Major topics from the dialogue out of focus, Sorensen will assess possibilities for a new round of dialogue

Aleksandar Sljuka, a collaborator of the non-governmental organization "New Social Initiative", told Kosovo Online that after the initial visits of the EU Special Representative for Dialogue, Peter Sorensen, to Belgrade and Pristina, it is difficult to expect a major breakthrough in the dialogue in the near future. Major topics from the dialogue, as he assesses, are now out of focus, and he does not believe that the formation of the Community of Serbian Municipalities (CSM) or the fulfillment of other points from the Ohrid Agreement that Serbia committed to will be achieved anytime soon, as they are controversial.

"I would say that these were, above all, informational meetings to see where the parties stand and to see if there are any common themes or points around which they could agree in the initial period. The Serbian side once again repeated that the key to normalization is the formation of the Community of Serbian Municipalities. In addition, they mentioned some destructive decisions and moves by Pristina that have contributed to the loss of trust between the parties and have generally made everyday life harder for the Serbian community in Kosovo," says Sljuka.

He reminds that Sorensen stated in Pristina that solving the issue of the missing persons is a priority, and he assesses that work will be done in that direction.

"What has come out of Lajcak's mandate is the formation of a joint commission for the missing, which has not started functioning. I believe Sorensen will try to revive the work of this commission and resolve the issue. As he said, he sees this issue more as humanitarian than political and will present it to the parties as a humanitarian issue, aiming to reach a consensus on it, in order to perhaps gradually restore trust and open the space to resolve other issues," says Sljuka.

Furthermore, he adds, it is possible that some technical issues will come to the table, as towards the end of Lajcak's mandate, certain technical solutions regarding certificates were being negotiated between Pristina and Belgrade.

Sljuka does not expect a joint meeting between the two sides in the near future, as he believes Sorensen now needs to analyze everything and assess the possibilities for a new meeting.

"We had an EU invitation for a meeting after Pristina closed institutions last time, specifically the Centers for Social Work, to prevent the closure of other institutions such as educational or health institutions, but this did not happen. In Pristina, we now see a confusing political situation, and we still do not know how a meeting could be organized because a government has not been formed in Pristina and it is unclear who could represent Kosovo in Brussels. On the other hand, we have a certain political crisis in Serbia, and until these issues are resolved, we cannot expect significant progress. Maybe a meeting on the missing persons or technical issues, but nothing crucial," concludes Sljuka.