European Union High Representative Josep Borrell said on Thursday that the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue needs to be resumed soon.

“The current status quo is not tenable. There is no alternative to a rapid resumption of the normalization talks between Belgrade and Pristina” the EU’s top diplomat said in a written reply to a question from the European Parliament.

He added that “Serbia and Kosovo need to create an environment that is conducive for the Dialogue to resume, to the benefit of both” and that he is looking forward to a swift resumption of the dialogue to help achieve a comprehensive normalization of relations.

Borell recalled in the reply that he “underlined his readiness to play his role as the facilitator of the Dialogue on behalf of the EU and to continue engaging with all political actors in Kosovo” following a visit to Belgrade and Pristina earlier this year and that he welcomed the Kosovo Government’s decision to lift the 100 percent tariffs on goods from Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina as a step which had a positive effect on restoring regional trade and ensuring the free flow of goods to tackle the coronavirus pandemic.