Weekly Briefing, Vol. 51. No. 1 (RS) May 2022
Germany hosted Vučić and Kurti meeting
Summary
At the beginning of May, May 5th, German Chancellor, Olaf Sholz, hosted the meeting between Aleksandar Vučić, President of the Republic of Serbia, and Albin Kurti, Prime minister of the provisional Priština institutions. Miroslav Lajčak, the EU special envoy for the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, also was invited to that meeting. And the Lajčak was the one who announced that the chief negotiators in the dialogue would meet on May 13 to continue discussions.
Introduction
The dialogue between Belgrade and Priština is lagging again. Both sides have repeatedly delayed the implementation of these agreements. The Serbian government’s procrastination is motivated by the Serbian public’s strong refusal to recognize Kosovo’s independence, as well as the belief that time can be bought by Western powers’ perception that Vučić’s regime – which has nationalist credentials – is a strong grip on power and ability to control narratives bringing the normalization process to an end.
Similarly, the Kosovo government’s position has been influenced by the dominant public perception that after being recognized by more than 100 countries, including major Western powers. Additionaly, since Albin Kurti, who built his political career on opposing dialogue with Serbia, became prime minister, the Kosovo government has adopted a rather inflexible approach marked by the belief that mutual recognition is a precondition for resolving open issues.
Therefore, the political interests of both the Serbian and Kosovo political elites to delay the process overlapped. Such situation is worsen by personal relations of two leaders. The last time that Aleksandar Vučić and Albin Kurti met within the framework of normalization of relations facilitated by the European Union was in July 2021. Both of their two meetings were described as unconstructive, difficult, and un-statesmanlike.
To boost the process, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz invited both Vucic and Kurti to Berlin on the same day for bilateral meetings and for a joint informal dinner in lieu of a proper meeting as part of the dialogue.
The meetings also served for the Chancellor to reiterate EU membership prospects for the region against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine and Russia’s increasing influence and its potential destabilizing effects in the Balkans[1]
Berlin meeting outcomes
The President of Serbia and the German Chancellor discussed the continuation of the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, and Scholz said that progress in that process is of great importance, due to the preservation of peace and stability in the Balkans. “All open issues should be resolved within the dialogue. That requires courage and determination, all agreed obligations must be respected, unilateral moves are not useful here”, the German chancellor pointed out.
Olaf Scholz said that the Western Balkans has a European future and that it is in the EU’s interest for the countries of that region to become members of the Union. In his opinion, the dialogue between Belgrade and Priština inherits great importance and eventually which should lead to a comprehensive agreement. Scholz promised that Germany would support the continuation of negotiations between Serbia and Kosovo.
The German Chancellor also expressed his concern to Vučić because of the “secessionist tendencies” in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which introduced the second biggest security aspect when it comes to the Western Balkans.
In his reaction, Vučić pointed out that the dialogue with Priština is not easy for Serbia. Although Serbia will do best going towards finding the compromise solution but one shouldn’t expect that will be plain fulfillment of desires. In their reports, the German media described this statement as “approaching Kosovo”, but for those who follow those negotiations, observed that statement is not new and does not lead to admiration.
When comes to Albin Kurti, he kept the position that a central issue of dialogue should be focused on mutual recognition. Kurti also announced that Kosovo will submit a request for membership in the Council of Europe and the Partnership for Peace, and that they expect the support of Germany for those diplomatic moves[2].
As one might assume, the topic of Russian special operation also was the topic. Serbia and the European Union “do not agree on every detail” when it comes to sanctions against Russia, but it should not be seen that Belgrade “clearly and unequivocally” advocated the view that the invasion of Ukraine is unacceptable, said Vučić and Scholz after Berlin meeting.
“We have been under sanctions for a whole decade and that is why we have a different sentiment towards sanctions, but Serbia understood the message of Germany and everyone else well,” Vučić said at a press conference. He added that Serbia has declared itself at the United Nations on the issue of the legal and political nature of the conflict in Ukraine. “The only statement of Serbia was either unexpected or partially expected, unlike all the others. We have not opened Chapter 31 (in negotiations with the EU) and we have an obligation to gradually align with EU decisions. It is true that Chancellor Scholz was very clear, he repeated the demands of Germany in a very strong way, and that is all I have to say”.
When asked whether the non-imposition of sanctions on Russia will affect Serbia’s path to the EU, Scholz briefly answered that it should not be overlooked that Serbia has repeatedly condemned Russia’s attack.
“On several occasions, Serbia has clearly and unequivocally represented in the General Assembly of the United Nations the position of the European Union that this is an attack by Russia on Ukraine and that it is unacceptable. The fact that we do not agree in every detail is the topic of our talks, but in the end, that attitude and such behavior of Serbia should not be overlooked”, said Scholz.
Completely different attitude has been taken in Priština. Officials in Priština have joined the restrictions imposed by Europe, although Ukraine does not recognize Kosovo’s independence.
No matter to differences between two parties, Berlin meeting at least brought spark of light. Namely, Miroslav Lajčak, the EU special envoy for the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, who also attended the meeting with Vučić and Kurti, announced that the chief negotiators in the dialogue would meet on May 13 in Brussels to continue discussions.[3] For that round three topics were planned: missing persons, license plates and energetic.
Conclusion
By convening this meeting, the first major Balkan task of the new German chancellor has been completed: Vučić and Kurti, politicians in whose hands the solution of the currently biggest political problem in the Balkans – the relations between Belgrade and Priština – came to Berlin.
For Germany, this meeting emerged as an opportunity to reiterate EU support for the region and bring new impetus to the dialogue process. [4]This reads as a determination to further strengthen the sphere of influence of Germany and the European Union in the Western Balkans. The resolution of the Kosovo-Serbia dispute remains important for stability in the Balkans and is seen as a way to reduce and isolate Russia’s influence in the region. The final agreement between Kosovo and Serbia will not only bring lasting stability to the conflict-stricken region, but will also take away Russia’s influence. This will allow the countries of the Western Balkans to be firmly anchored in Euro-Atlantic institutions.
Apart from regular statements about the improvement of economic and political relations, then about the citizens of the two countries who live and work in Germany and who serve as a “bridge between homeland and Germany”, the focus was on the continuation of frozen negotiations between Belgrade and Priština. Speaking of the quality of relations between two parties, they are at the lowest level since 2013 when the Brussels Agreement[5] was signed.
A special meeting between Aleksandar Vučić and Albin Kurti, which was held in the evening in the presence of Miroslav Lajčák, the European Union’s special envoy for negotiations between Belgrade and Priština, gave additional weight to previous meetings in the chancellery.
Apart from feeling very much burdened with problematic historical heritage, the main reason for such a long, arduous process is that the leaders of both sides see the dialogue as an imposed work process, and the introduction of the required process is unknown. One of the main consequences of this understanding is the lack of transparency in the process, about which citizens are not sufficiently informed.
This long-running endeavor – marked by numerous failures – has been virtually halted for two years, after the so-called Kosovo government imposed an embargo on Serbian goods and reached dozens of agreements regulating a wide range of issues.
[1] Balkan Insight: The time to incentivize the Pristina-Belgrade dialogue is now, Balkan Insight, http://balkaninsight.com/2022/05/17/the-time-to-incentivize-the-kosovo-serbia-dialogue-is-now/, accessed on 18/05/2022.
[2] Third Vučić-Kurti meeting takes place in Berlin, Dialogue to continue, European Western Balkans, https://europeanwesternbalkans.com/2022/05/05/third-vucic-kurti-meeting-takes-place-in-berlin-dialogue-to-continue/, accessed on: 07/05/2022.
[3] Lajcak: Chief negotiators to continue discussions on May 13, Tanjug, 5 May 2022, http://www.tanjug.rs/full-view_en.aspx?izb=731714, accessed on: 10/05/2022.
[4] Nemačka gura pregovore Srbije i Kosova, Deutche Welle,4. maj 2022, https://www.dw.com/sr/nema%C4%8Dka-gura-pregovore-srbije-i-kosova/a-61687812, accessed on: 10/05/2022.
[5] First Agreement of Principles Governing the Normalization of Relations, The Government of the Republic of Serbia, https://www.srbija.gov.rs/cinjenice/en/120394, accessed on: 10/05/2022.