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Hopes for progress in March were high. Now it has been declared null and void. On Wednesday, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic (53) and Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti (48) met in Brussels for talks. But the parties to the conflict could not get any closer. The situation remains tense.
The background to the talks are the recent incidents in the north of Kosovo. In elections in predominantly Serb communities in northern Kosovo, only 3.48 percent filled in a valid ballot. According to the Belgian news portal Euractiv, it is the lowest turnout in the country’s history. According to the Central Election Commission ZWK, only 1,567 of the 45,000 eligible voters cast their vote.
Serbian party boycott elections – tense situation
Behind this lies a call for a boycott by the Serbian List, the largest Serbian party in Kosovo. They justify this with the unmet demand for autonomy from Kosovo’s Serb communities. It’s a known issue. And one that prevents Serbia from officially recognizing Kosovo. “But Kosovo is afraid of some kind of federal unity in its own country,” Daniel Bochsler, 43, a political scientist at the Central European University and the University of Belgrade, told Blick in March. The fear of a “Trojan horse” is too great.
The situation in the region is correspondingly tense. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell (76) even fears that recent events could escalate, he said on Wednesday. NATO’s Kosovo Force (KFOR), which also involves Switzerland, is monitoring the situation, as confirmed to Blick. There are currently no new signs of an escalation. “But KFOR remains ready to face any scenario to create a safe environment.”
No Progress in Negotiations – Now What?
Florian Bieber (49), head of the Center for Southeast European Studies at the University of Graz, also sees greater escalation potential. But he also considers an armed conflict unlikely at the moment, he explains in an interview with Blick. But: “In this situation of uncertainty and rhetorical escalation, of course, something can always happen.”
The big problem? “Both sides are very aggressive towards each other, and neither Serbia nor Kosovo has any interest in deescalating the situation,” the expert said. This is also reflected in the current stagnation in the talks between the two heads of state.
Barely started, the normalization process between Serbia and Kosovo seems frozen. Back to the status quo, that seems to be the motto in the conflict between Serbia and Kosovo. “It’s a dangerous, unstable status quo built on tension,” Bieber said. And it will probably stay that way for a while. “I’m pessimistic that there will be a real breakthrough.”
Source: Blick
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
