RFE: Belgrade – Pristina dialogue resumes in Brussels on Thursday

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After a month, the new round of the European Union-facilitated Belgrade – Pristina dialogue on the normalisation of relations will continue in Brussels on Thursday according to what diplomatic sources told Radio Free Europe (RFE) on Tuesday.

The meeting was scheduled for the end of September but was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic, and also because of some disputes between the two sides over the topics for the talks.

The Brussels sources said the Thursday’s agenda would include finances and property, the issues already discussed at earlier meetings.

After a long break, the dialogue resumed in summer, but the two sides did not agree on the formation of the Community of Serb Municipalities in Kosovo (CSM) which had been a part of the deal from 2013.

Pristina insists the CSM should be formed after a comprehensive and legally binding agreement that includes mutual recognition is reached, while Belgrade says it should have been done seven years ago and maintains it must be on the agenda of the resumes talks.

The EU special envoy for the dialogue Miroslav Lajčák said that the CSM should be a part of the final agreement expected at the end of negotiations and that it would be formed after such an agreement was signed.