Petkovic and Bajrami Meet Sorensen in Brussels Before June Normalisation Plan

Serbia’s Kosovo Office head Petar Petkovic and Pristina’s new chief negotiator Agron Bajrami continue separate Brussels consultations on 28 May. Both meet EU special envoy Peter Sorensen.

The talks are part of the preparation for a normalisation roadmap that Brussels plans to launch in June.

On 13 May Sorensen said he had discussed with Petkovic solutions for Pristina’s so-called laws on foreigners and vehicles. He spoke with Bajrami the same day about pressure on Serbia and the full implementation of the agreements.

Petkovic first met Sorensen this month on 12 May. He said then:

Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija face political and institutional pressure from Pristina every day. Belgrade is open to continued talks, provided that full implementation of previously concluded agreements is secured.

Bajrami succeeded Besnik Bislimi as Pristina’s chief negotiator and is already engaging European mediators.

New format and open issues

The Brussels meetings are described by Sorensen’s office as separate and detailed. The goal is to define the normalisation roadmap over the coming months.

The format differs from earlier rounds of direct meetings between the two negotiators. Sorensen first holds bilateral talks with each side, with a joint session planned for the second stage.

According to Kossev portal from North Mitrovica, the next joint round is scheduled for the first week of June.

The principal open issues in the Brussels talks are:

• Pristina’s recent vehicle registration laws
• the status of foreigners in Kosovo
• special rules for parts of Kosovo with a Serb majority
• the Association of Serb Municipalities from the 2013 Brussels Agreement

Belgrade demands withdrawal of the laws, while Pristina wants their full enforcement as part of standard state procedure. According to our sources, Sorensen has proposed a compromise framework in earlier meetings, with selective enforcement postponed until the dialogue concludes.

How Brussels sees the new phase

In a public statement on 13 May Sorensen said a final process of normalisation was under way. In his assessment, concrete results could come before the end of the year.

After meeting Sorensen, Bajrami said:

The ultimate aim is mutual recognition with pressure on Serbia and full implementation of the Brussels Agreement. That remains Pristina’s unconditional demand in every round.

Kosovo Assembly speaker Glauk Konjufca, who received Sorensen ahead of the meeting, said the dialogue had entered a decisive phase. The next logical step, in his view, is a final settlement of the status question.

Foreign Minister Marko Djuric, who is in Beijing with President Vucic, announced a special session of the National Security Council immediately upon his return. The Brussels talks will be reviewed there. The Presidency declined further comment.

Serbian opposition and North Kosovo react

The Democratic Party issued a brief statement of concern over the direction of the dialogue. In its view, a final deal could mean Belgrade conceding positions without adequate guarantees for Serbs in Kosovo.

People’s Movement of Serbia leader Miroslav Aleksic called for any deal to be submitted to the National Assembly for ratification, with separate votes on each element.

Serb Municipalities Community president Goran Rakic told Politika on 26 May that the position of Serbs in North Kosovo remains very difficult. The new vehicle registration rules, in his view, hit basic aspects of daily life.

Rakic demanded that the Brussels talks finally deliver the Association of Serb Municipalities.

Next big date, the Tivat summit

The next major diplomatic moment for Serbian foreign policy is the EU-Western Balkans summit in Tivat, scheduled for 5 June.

According to Brussels sources, the summit is expected to feature a parallel meeting between Petkovic and Bajrami and the EU’s high representative for foreign affairs. The encounter is part of preparation for the next round of dialogue.

Will the Tivat summit deliver the first concrete normalisation roadmap with firm dates?