The appointment of First Deputy Prime Minister, also Minister of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, Glauk Konjufca, at the head of the dialogue process with Serbia is being seen by government representatives as a continuation of a consolidated approach, while by the opposition as a moment that demands more transparency and institutional accountability.
A day after Konjufca hosted the EU envoy for the dialogue, Peter Sorensen, in a meeting, where he informed him that the government had authorized his department to lead the dialogue process, it is requested, among other things, that the dialogue not completely cover the foreign policy agenda.
Vetëvendosje Movement MP Driton Hyseni tells KosovaPress that with Konjufca at the helm of diplomacy and the negotiation process, the current pace of engagement with the international factor will be maintained.
According to him, Kosovo must continue to prove that it is a constructive party and committed to good neighborliness, shifting the focus of responsibility for any potential setbacks to the Serbian side.
“This pace will continue now, with Mr. Glauk Konjufca as Minister of Foreign Affairs and First Deputy Prime Minister at the helm of these talks and issues that will be dealt with with the European Union initially and then with Serbia as a party at the table… We must show before the international factor that we are for good neighborliness, as we have shown in the past. In this regard, Mr. Konjufca, with all his political commitment since the beginning, has shown that he has the approach, the rationality, but above all, we have the full certainty that when the interest of the Republic of Kosovo comes into question, he is worthy of representing it in the best way”, he said.
On the other hand, the opposition demands clarity and greater institutional involvement in the process. Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) MP Time Kadrijaj emphasized to KosovaPress that the way the dialogue agenda will be drafted will also depend on the demands of the European Union, but insists that the process be transparent and reportable to the Assembly.
“Let’s see how he will draft the dialogue agenda and this depends on the developments or requests that the EU and the emissaries appointed for the dialogue will have. I think it should be a transparent process and he has an obligation to report to the Kosovo Assembly on the agenda he has, what will be discussed and what the results will be,” she said.
In addition to dialogue, Konjufca is required to fully cover the foreign policy agenda.
Self-Determination MP Hyseni said that Kosovo diplomacy should in parallel intensify efforts for membership in international organizations and for strengthening international subjectivity, avoiding reducing foreign policy only to relations with Serbia.
“I do not think that our foreign policy should take all the attention of our relations with Serbia. I see an extraordinary insistence of officials in Brussels to give priority to the normalization of relations with Serbia, but I consider that in this regard Kosovo has given evidence by reaching agreements and starting to think about their implementation. Brussels should know that pressure should be exerted on Serbia in terms of normalizing relations. Also, our diplomacy has an enormous amount of work and needs to approach various segments and forums for membership in important international organizations”, adds Hyseni.
KosovaPress also sent questions to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, but it did not respond to questions about the priorities in the dialogue and the approach that will be used in this process.
Sorensen’s mandate as the EU’s mediator in the dialogue has been extended for the next two years. Kosovo and Serbia reached an agreement on the Brussels Agreement and the Ohrid Annex in 2023, but so far this agreement has not been implemented.
During the Kurti Government’s mandate, Kosovo and Serbia held a series of meetings at the level of leaders, as well as at the level of chief negotiators, but the parties did not agree on the implementation of the agreement.