Vucic: Dialogue at a dead end; Pristina does not want to fulfill its obligation and form the CSM

The President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, pointed out that after today's round of dialogue, it was completely clear that Pristina did not want to fulfill its obligation and form the CSM and that the dialogue was now at a major impasse.

"Today we reached the wall", he emphasized in a statement to journalists after the end of the round of high-level dialogue in Brussels.

He pointed out that it had been clear from the moment when the draft of the CSM Statute had been presented because the representatives of Pristina had been trying to humiliate women who had been doing it in a very professional way.

"Their reactions were that it is not acceptable because it is not in accordance with their constitution, that they do not want a Republika Srpska, even though everything was done in accordance with the agreements from 2015 and 2013," Vucic said.

He said that there was no point in the draft that had not been agreed or signed.

The EU made a proposal to overcome the situation after the elections, Vucic accepted, and Kurti refused

Vucic also conveyed that the current situation had been discussed at the meeting after, as he pointed out, the shameful and illegitimate elections in the north of Kosovo, in which a total of 3.4 percent of voters had participated, and only 0.02 percent of the Serbs.

"We discussed how to overcome the situation because it is about the complete delegitimization of those who were elected. The EU came out with its proposal, and I accepted it, but Pristina rejected that proposal as well. I thought it was very important to overcome the situation, to preserve peace and stability, and to continue talking," Vucic said.

He expressed the hope that by the next round of dialogue, on May 11, 18, or after May 20, there would be reactions from some others, which could influence a change in Pristina's attitudes.

"Otherwise, I'm afraid we're all in a big dead end. I am not an optimist, but I can promise on behalf of Serbia that we will do everything to preserve peace and stability," Vucic said.

He pointed out that from the beginning it had been known that, whatever had been discussed, it had been always about the CSM.

"The Serbs have fulfilled all their obligations, without receiving Pristina's only obligation – the   CSM. And if you say that you will never accept that Serbian municipalities can build roads... What should they do? Or that they have a movable or immovable property... What do you want, that they buy chewing gum and sell gummy candies? It doesn't really make much sense," Vucic said.

He added that he hoped that the talks would continue, despite the fact that they had reached a dead end.

Vucic: Either you will accept what was agreed upon in 2013 and 2015 or it is the end of everything

The President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, stated tonight that, regarding the formation and Statute of the Community of Serb-majority Municipalities, the legal system of Kosovo was not being discussed, but what had already been agreed upon, saying - either the agreements reached in 2013 and 2015 would be accepted, or it was the end of everything.

When asked by a journalist, after the meeting, what was the fate of the presented draft of the CSM Statute, since Pristina did not accept it, because, as its representatives said, it was not in accordance with the Kosovo Constitution, Vucic replied that, if that was the case, then no article would be accepted, and that was the essence.

"We didn't talk about their legal system, but about the fact that both of us have to make a compromise in order to reach an agreement," Vucic said.

The President of Serbia reminded that in 2015 he and Isa Mustafa had signed the principles regarding the formation of the CSM, stating that Pristina was now renouncing them because that was what their Constitutional Court had said.

"No problem, if you're going to play like that, it makes no sense to take your argument seriously. It's a nonsensical approach. Either you will stick to what was agreed in 2013 and 2015, or it's the end of everything. Someone has to understand that," Vucic said.

Vuciv: At the moment I don't see a solution, if someone saw it they would still be sitting at the table

The President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, said this evening in Brussels that he did not want to speak on behalf of the European mediators and added that he did not see a solution at the moment.

"Whatever I would say, then they would say that they are inviting both sides, both sides are such as they are, I will not use such stories. They understood enough in the EU," the Serbian President said.

He added that it was not his place to speak on behalf of Borrell and Lajcak, or anyone else.

"I speak in the name of the Republic of Serbia, not in the name of the European Union, so I am not interested in it because of the newspaper headlines, I am interested in the essence," Vucic said.

He added that he had warned from the beginning that the situation would develop like this.

"I warned about it from the beginning and I knew it was going in that direction because we heard the same argumentation again," Vucic said and added that the "Constitutional Court of Kosovo" had been heard.

He pointed out that when he had mentioned the Constitutional Court of Serbia and the UN Resolution, he had received remarks that he was living in the past.

"Whenever I raise the issue of the Constitutional Court of Serbia, the UN Resolution, then I live in the past. Since I live in the past, and you live in the future, before we move on to that future, fulfill what we signed in the past. When you fulfill it, then it is not a problem to move on, Vucic said.

When asked what the fate of the CSM was now, he said that the story would continue.

"I know that when they hear this, both extreme Albanians and extreme Serbs rejoice, because we were right without an agreement, I never rejoice when there is no agreement, agreement, and compromise are not ugly words, they are beautiful words. When there are none, you have to realize that there aren't any and to face it and keep looking for a solution."

He said that he did not see a solution at the moment.

"If any of the four of us left at the table had seen it, then we would have stayed and tried to solve it. Since no one had seen the solution, we split up in the hope that we would be able to find him in the days ahead." Vucic said.

Do not look for justification in my statements why Kurti will not form the CSM

When the journalist stated that he "seems to differentiate between what was signed and what was not" when asked to clarify whether he had accepted the agreements from Brussels and Ohrid, Vucic said that his statements could not be sought for "an apologetic reason", because someone did not want to fulfill what had been signed and agreed upon 10 years ago.

He pointed out that he had clearly said that he knew the obligation of Pristina, which had to form the CSM, and that Serbia would participate in the implementation of most of what was written in those two agreements and that he had made it clear what Serbia could do, and what he could not accept.

"As much I knew from the first moment that Kurti did not intend to fulfill anything regarding the CSM and as much I was convinced of this even today. It's just that someone should have told us earlier, and not have the whole show take place. I have never lied to anyone, and what I am saying to you, I am also saying to Olaf Scholz and Emmanuel Macron and Antony Blinken and everyone else," the President of Serbia said.

Those agreements, he reminded, were the accepted framework for now, for both Serbia and Pristina, on the European path, and whoever applied them independently of the other, would be able or not able to advance towards the EU.

"It is a matter that should not worry you, but me because it is about our EU path. I cannot delete and change it, because it has become part of the negotiation framework officially," Vucic said.

He stated that it was somewhat more favorable for Serbia because there was no mention of a legally binding agreement that would implicitly recognize Kosovo, although it was still not favorable, it had to be understood that it was part of the negotiation framework.

"But don't let anyone look for an apologetic reason that someone doesn't want to fulfill something that was signed and agreed upon 10 years ago, in what I'm going to say. It's not a matter of a statement, but of a desire," Vucic emphasized.

He also pointed out that the problem was that there was no normalization process; that there was discussion about how to solve problems; that the two sides often could not even have a civilized conversation, because the problems were multiplying and someone was producing them day by day, and that was not Serbia.

"Serbia has not created any problems or surprises, but someone thinks every day how to harm the Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija and does nothing else. I know you will find 1,000 excuses for that... We have made mistakes in the past, but I am afraid that not only have you not learned anything from us, but you are making them in a rougher way than we did," Vucic concluded.