Newly appointed EU Foreign Minister Joseph Borrell says Belgrade-Pristina dialogue is taking too long

He added that the current situation cannot be continued and that an agreement must be reached, on which he will strongly engage, and will first visit Pristina, because, he says, he already knows Serbia well.

“One thing is clear: Kosovo and Serbia must reach an agreement. That is important. I will do everything I can to meet this priority”, Borrell said.

The appointment of a European Union special envoy for the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue is a sure thing and the decision will probably be announced after the EU’s future top diplomat Josep Borrell adresses the European Parliament on October 7, Radio Free Europe said on Thursday quoting unnamed diplomatic sources in Brussels.

Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic pays one-day visit to Spain where she met with the Spanish Foreign Affairs Minister and newly appointed EU High Representative Josep Borrell, Tanjug news agency reports.

The main topics of the meeting included bilateral relations, Serbia’s EU integration and Belgrade-Pristina dialogue.

“Serbia would most probably participate in a meeting of EU foreign affairs ministers and membership candidate states in Helsinki,” Foreign Affairs Minister Ivica Dacic said Tanjug news agency reports. The news agency recalled that outgoing EU High Representative Federica Mogherini invited Pristina representatives to this event as well.

Dacic added he would consult with the President Aleksandar Vucic about Serbia’s participation, underlining “a Gymnich format” would be respected in a meeting.

European Council had appointed Spain’s Foreign Affairs Minister Josep Borrell for the new chief of EU foreign policy. As European media report, EU members had officially named Borrell the successor of Federica Mogherini on the position of EU High Representative for Foreign Policy and Security.

Borrell will take over his duty at the end of October, it is said in the European Council statement.
The Council had appointed Borrell after the approval of the newly appointed President of European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen.

Future EU Foreign Affairs Chief Josep Borrell to face five challenges on his new post, the issue of Belgrade - Pristina relations, among others, FT reports.

Federica Mogherini's successor, Josep Borrell, will face with the open issues of Iran, Venezuela, China and relations with USA.

"Spanish veteran will face with numerous challenges, starting from Venezuela to the Balkans, in times of EU fading impact", FT reports, adding that tensions between Belgrade and Pristina are rising, despite EU mediation.

The European Union does not have unified stance when it comes to Kosovo and Metohija and that is why one should not expect a swift reaching of an agreement between Belgrade and Pristina, analyst Branko Rudin told Serbian national broadcaster RTS.

Serbia and Bulgaria have excellent relations while the latest developments and statements are only a temporary misunderstanding, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Sunday commenting on the exchange of statements between Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov and Serbian Foreign Affairs Minister Ivica Dacic, BETA news agency reported.

Spanish Foreign Minister Josep Borrell said on Wednesday in Belgrade that the cases of Kosovo and Catalonia are not comparable. These two situations, he said, have nothing to do with one another.

"Such comparisons fall on deaf ears. They have no weight, although advocates of Catalonia's independence like them," Borrell said in response to questions at a joint press conference with the Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic.