BRUSSELS – EU High Representative Federica Mogherini met today in Brussels with the members of the Delegation for Dialogue appointed by the Kosovo Assembly on 15 December 2018.
Welcoming the Delegation’s nomination, the High Representative saw its presence in Brussels as a demonstration of the priority the Kosovo authorities are giving to the normalisation process, a requirement for Kosovo’s European path, and to the need to work together on the Dialogue between Pristina and Belgrade, facilitated by the EU.
On the other hand, EU Spokesperson Maja Kocijančič announced yesterday that the high-level political dialogue will continue to be led by the two Presidents, Vučić and Thaçi, KoSSev reported.
As European External Action Service wrote in a statement, the meeting was an opportunity for an exchange with the Kosovo representatives on the Dialogue. In this context, the High Representative reiterated the urgency to revoke the customs tariffs, announced by the Kosovo Government at the end of last year.
Reaching a comprehensive legally binding agreement on full normalisation of relations in the context of the Pristina Belgrade Dialogue requires a climate that contributes to good neighbourly relations, whereby past agreements are respected and implemented, and actions and statements which are not compatible with the overall interest and strategic objectives of the region are avoided, the statement concluded.
According to KoSSev, one of the team’s chairs, Spend Ahmeti, stated that “the tariffs are not going to be revoked for nothing” and that they represent the only way of putting pressure on Serbia.
Ahmeti and his co-chair Fatmir Limaj stated that they had received a clear message that the dialogue should be continued on a faster pace in the first half of the year. It was emphasised that High Representative Mogherini would accept any deal reached between the two sides as long as it is in accordance with EU values.