High-level Brussels meetings under way

It will be facilitated by of EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell, supported by EU Special Representative for the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue Miroslav Lajcak, said the European External Action Service (EEAS).

N1’s European correspondent reported that the EU officials met Monday morning with Kurti, that the meeting was surprisingly short and that it lasted for about half an hour. Borrell and Lajcak are currently in a meeting with Vucic, following which a trilateral meeting, at which Vucic and Kurti will speak with the EU officials, is expected to be held.

The focus of the emergency meeting will be on finding a way out of the current crisis and avoiding any further escalation and tensions on the ground, with an emphasis on license plates and the return of Kosovo Serbs to Kosovo institutions, said the EEAS.

“We need de-escalation of the situation, stop going from permanent crisis management and start advancing on normalization of relations instead,” Borrell wrote Sunday evening on Twitter.

I am convening an emergency meeting of the Belgrade -Pristina Dialogue tomorrow with Prime Minister @albinkurti and President @predsednikrs

We need de-escalation of the situation, stop going from permanent crisis management & start advancing on normalisation of relations instead

— Josep Borrell Fontelles (@JosepBorrellF) November 20, 2022

Prior to his departure to Brussels Vucic said he was not optimistic and that he does not think anything can be done, but that he was going to make the trip anyway so that “Serbia is not blamed for not wanting to do anything.”

He reiterated that Serbia’s conditions are the establishment of the Community of Serb Municipalities and the scrapping of the decision on license plates.

Kosovo has said that it will start fining on November 22 owners of vehicles who have not replaced their Serbia-issued license plates with RKS (Republic of Kosovo) plates. The fine is set at 150 Euro.

International community representatives have asked Pristina to postpone the implementation of the license plates decision for ten months, which the Kosovo authorities have refused to do.

Tensions additionally increased when members of the Serb community in north Kosovo withdrew from Kosovo’s institutions earlier this month.

The last meeting between Vucic and Kurti within the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue took place on August 18, whey they agreed to meet once a month to resolve the ongoing problems and prevent any potential escalation of tensions.

I am convening an emergency meeting of the Belgrade -Pristina Dialogue tomorrow with Prime Minister @albinkurti and President @predsednikrs

We need de-escalation of the situation, stop going from permanent crisis management & start advancing on normalisation of relations instead

— Josep Borrell Fontelles (@JosepBorrellF) November 20, 2022

I am convening an emergency meeting of the Belgrade -Pristina Dialogue tomorrow with Prime Minister @albinkurti and President @predsednikrs

We need de-escalation of the situation, stop going from permanent crisis management & start advancing on normalisation of relations instead