• Serbia, Kosovo Leaders ‘Make No Progress’ at Brussels Meeting (BIRN)
• U.S: We are closely monitoring the talks, use them effectively (Telegrafi)
• Price: Secretary Blinken personally invested in breaking the deadlock (media)
• Kurti presented chapters of General Framework of Agreement (media)
• Vucic: I had a difficult day, I can’t say it ended successfully (Albanian Post)
• Scholz and Macron contacted Kurti and Vucic before the meeting (RFE)
• Palokaj: Meeting between Kurti and Vucic, best one so far (Koha)
• Tuhina: There will be intensive talks by EU with Kurti and Vucic (RTK)
• Kosovo Albanians and Serbs, hope dialogue will calm the situation (VOA)

Serbia, Kosovo Leaders ‘Make No Progress’ at Brussels Meeting (BIRN)

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell told media that the meeting on Thursday in the Belgian capital between Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti did not yield any progress towards resolving current tensions.

Borrell said after a series of meetings, which lasted over five hours, that “we did not get to an agreement today but it is not an end to the story”.

The meetings took place after tensions escalated two weeks ago when Kosovo Serbs protested against a Kosovo government decision to impose new entry and exit procedures for people with Serbian documents and the re-registration of cars with Serbian car plates.

Kosovo police on July 31 closed the country’s border crossings after local Serbs set up barricades. Under US advice, Pristina then decided to postpone the changes until September 1, causing the protests to subside.

Borrell expressed hope that a solution could be reached. “Both leaders agreed that the process needs to continue and the discussion will resume in the coming days,” he said.

“There is still time until the 1st of September, I don’t give up,” he added.

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U.S: We are closely monitoring the talks, use them effectively (Telegrafi)

The United States of America called on Thursday on Kosovo and Serbia to continue the dialogue, after the meeting between the parties in Brussels ended without result. State Department spokesman Ned Price said at the daily press conference that Washington is following the situation closely and as a priority. “From what we know, the talks are continuing. We, in partnership with the EU, are following it carefully and encourage both parties to use the dialogue effectively and suggest the parties to continue the dialogue,” said Price.

Price said that Washington fully supports the dialogue and said that it is important that both sides use these talks effectively, repeating Washington’s position that they should “advance the discussion on the normalization of relations that it has in the premise the mutual recognition.”

Price: Secretary Blinken personally invested in breaking the deadlock (media)

State Department Spokesman Ned Price told The Pavlovic Today that Secretary Blinken is personally invested in breaking the Kosovo-Serbia deadlock.

Today’s EU-led dialogue between Serbia and Kosovo again reached a stalemate. Can you give us a sense of where things stand from the US perspective given that Mr. Escobar, official from the State Department, was in Brussels today? Can you tell us more?

Yes, you are correct that Gabe Escobar, the Assistant Secretary Escobar, is in Brussels. He is there as an observer, he is not there as a participant. So we will let the participants do these discussions, speak in detail to their progress. Our understanding is that talks are ongoing. We, in partnership with the EU, are watching very carefully. We encourage both sides to use the dialogue effectively. And we urge the parties to remain at the negotiating table.

As I said yesterday or the day before, we fully support this dialogue. We believe that it’s important that both parties use these talks effectively to advance their discussion on normalized relations centered on the premise of mutual recognition.

We would like to see progress made on the implementation of past dialogue agreements, and we believe that as a broad principle, dialogue and compromise are critical components of governance including in the case of Kosovo, and Serbia.

Far from seeing a compromise as a symptom or a reflection of weakness, we believe that it is essential to reach an agreement on the normalization of relations, which remains fundamental to both countries’ aspirations for EU membership. We’re hopeful that the leaders of Serbia and Kosovo understand the importance of moving forward, not backward, through this EU-facilitated dialogue.

My follow-up question: I was told that American ambassador to the EU was – that he gave a message from someone from the White House to the EU during the talks today. So, can you confirm that? And if this is true, is this all the White House is doing, just sending letters through the EU? In other words, are you willing to get involved more directly in order to reach a solution there?

There are number of senior officials who are watching this very closely beyond this one senior official who was actually in Brussels, physically observing these talks. I can assure you that this has a high level of attention.

Our Ambassador to the EU, is one of the officials who’s watching this very closely, but there are senior officials here who are doing so as well. I know that this is an issue that Secretary Blinken himself has spent quite a bit of his time personally invested in. So this is a priority across this enterprise from our representatives in the field and back here.

Kurti presented chapters of General Framework of Agreement (media)

The Government of Kosovo issued a press release on Thursday about the meeting that Prime Minister Albin Kurti held with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic in Brussels.

“Today there were two topics on the agenda. The first was the discussion on the General Framework of the Agreement. Prime Minister Kurti emphasized that this agreement should be legally binding for the complete normalization of relations with mutual recognition in the center. He presented several chapters with relevant elements that this framework should contain”.

“The second topic was the current political and security issues for which Prime Minister Kurti pointed out the importance of legality and constitutionality in our country as guarantees of peace, security and equality for all citizens without distinction,” the government’s press release reads.

Kurti thanked the representatives of the EU, Josep Borrell and Miroslav Lajcak, for the organization and mediation in these talks.

Vucic: I had a difficult day, I can’t say it ended successfully (Albanian Post)

After the 5-hour meeting with the Prime Minister of Kosovo Albin Kurti, the President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic addressed the citizens of Serbia through a video on his Instagram profile. “Dear citizens of Serbia, a difficult day is behind us, it was a difficult day for all the citizens and for the entire country. I cannot say that it ended successfully,” Vucic said. “I am refraining from any other comments, because I hope and want to believe that it is possible that by some miracle, we can reach a compromised solution in the coming days. This is why I will continue to fight for peace and stability,” Vucic said promising a longer speech within 48 hours.

Scholz and Macron contacted Kurti and Vucic before the meeting (RFE)

Citing unnamed diplomatic sources in Brussels, Radio Free Europe reported that German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron contacted Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic before their meeting in Brussels on Thursday. The sources said that the two leaders encouraged them to reach an agreement and avoid the escalation of the situation.

Palokaj: Meeting between Kurti and Vucic, best one so far (Koha)

Brussels-based correspondent Augustin Palokaj told KTV on Thursday that in the EU the meeting between Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has been described as the best meeting the parties have had so far. Palokaj also said that according to an EU source, “for the first time they [Kurti and Vucic] have expressed shown their views on how they see the normalization of relations between the two countries. Although a concrete result has not been reached, it is said that the very fact that they have understood that they must work together to reduce tensions is considered good news for the EU and international community”.

Tuhina: There will be intensive talks by EU with Kurti and Vucic (RTK)

Brussels-based correspondent Gjeraqina Tuhina told the national broadcaster that Thursday’s meeting has ended, but not the round of talks, as the efforts continue, and the talks will continue perhaps at the level of the chief negotiators from next week. According to the EU, she said, there is still time until August 31 to find a solution.

She further explained that this meeting was extraordinary, based on the fact that it was organized as a result of the tense situation in the north of Kosovo.

“So, this meeting was focused on not repeating the previous situation, which happened on July 31”, she emphasized.

Tuhina also said that European and international engagements will continue. “Tonight, intensive meetings and consultations between the EU’s special envoy Lajcak, the special emissary of the USA Gabriel Escobar, with Prime Minister Kurti, as well as with the Serbian president, Aleksandar Vucic will continue”. Tuhina said.

Further, she emphasized that it is unofficially understood that important European leaders have also been engaged to find an agreement, a solution, for the situation created now between Kosovo and Serbia.

Kosovo Albanians and Serbs, hope dialogue will calm the situation (VOA)

Among Kosovo Albanians and Serbs there have been mixed positions in the recent weeks as tensions have risen, although they generally do not want a new conflict. Some are already involved in joint activities, uninterested in the inflammatory rhetoric of politicians. The issue of the conversion of license plates of Kosovo Serbs continues to remain a topic, which may again trigger new tensions as the parties seem determined not to change their position. NATO has increased patrols in the north of Kosovo, while the head of NATO has pledged that the peacekeeping forces will maintain stability in the region.

Some Kosovo residents of different ethnicities do not allow political accusations and counter-accusations to prevent them from working together. Mentor Gashi and Slavisa Stojanovic run a dog shelter in Pristina. This is a rare example of good inter-ethnic relations in Kosovo, where tensions between the two groups have remained present since 1999. The population of Kosovo is 90% Albanian and 5% Serb.

“I have never heard bad comments in Pristina or in Gracanica. I don’t think that our cooperation creates problems for anyone, that there are two people from different ethnicities, working together. For me, this is a positive thing,” Gashi said.

“We have had no problems for 10 years. We also have good relations with his family, they also have good relations with my family, we know each other, we go to each other’s houses. We never talk about politics. Let him who receives money think about it. We must work as people, as brothers, to help each other as much as we can,” Stojanovic said.

About 50,000 Serbs live in the north of Kosovo, near the border with Serbia. Another 40,000, including Stojanovic, live south of the Ibër River and use license plates issued by the Kosovo government.