No photo ops, statements, or names in Sarajevo

There will be no photographing, joint statements, or indication of functions at the EU-Western Balkans conference in Sarajevo in June. UN mission in Kosovo, UNMIK, representatives will be present, according to Belgrade daily Danas. No photo ops, statements, or names in Sarajevo Foreign Ministers Vuk Jeremic and Skender Hyseni, appointed by the Kosovo Albanian government in Pristina as its foreign minister, will be seated at the same table at the meeting, accroding to the same newspaper report today. The daily writes that it learned from the Serbian and Kosovo governments that they agreed to the so-called Gymnich format of the conference, considering that this meeting will be held on a ministerial level unlike the one in Slovenia recently, where presidents and prime ministers were invited. Belgrade snubbed the informal gathering in Slovenia, saying that Kosovo Albanian officials could only take part as Kosovo-UNMIK, and without violating UNSC Resolution 1244 in the process. “A model of participation of officials from Pristina which is acceptable to Belgrade has been found, which includes personal presence of ministers without stating of their functions. Also, it has been agreed that there will be no photographing before and after the meeting, or joint statements for the public afterwards. This Gymnich model was the only solution under which we have agreed to sit with the representatives of authorities in Pristina at the joint meeting, of course, in the presence of representatives of the EU mission in Kosovo,” State Secretary with the Kosovo Ministry Oliver Ivanovic told the daily. In Pristina, government Spokesman Memli Krasniqi confirmed for the daily that Kosovo Albanian officials also agreed to the conditions and that Hyseni would be in Sarajevo on June 2. “We're glad that Serbia has agreed to the Gymnich model, which was also offered for the meeting in Slovenia, where Serbia refused to participate. It's important to us that all participants of the meeting have an equal right to speak and to the respect of their positions. Considering that we're aware of how important regional cooperation is in the context of European integrations, but also in improving the living conditions of all citizens in the former Yugoslavia, we're happy that things have gotten better with Serbia's consent,“ Krasniqi explains. Back in Belgrade, Serbian Deputy PM Bozidar Djelic was quoted as saying that the ultimate achievement of the upcoming meeting in Sarajevo should not be only that it was held, but that Serbia and other countries, based on new EU development plan “Europe 2020“, create similar programs where concrete projects in five areas would be visible. “Those areas are infrastructure, ecology, knowledge economy, social policy and energy. The countries of the region would then together coordinate the timing and priority projects and note joint interests and joint financial sources with the European partners. That shouldn't be another hand held out for the support of European taxpayers but joint work with joint interest. That must be a contribution of the meeting in Sarajevo and that's why Serbia will, I'm convinced, as soon as this month, come out with this plan,“ Djelic said. According to Chief of the EU Delegation to Serbia Vincent Degert, the EU wants all of its partners in the region to participate at the regional conference in Sarajevo, since, according to him, the idea is to send a message that the entire Western Balkans has a European perspective.

No photo ops, statements, or names in Sarajevo

Foreign Ministers Vuk Jeremić and Skender Hyseni, appointed by the Kosovo Albanian government in Priština as its foreign minister, will be seated at the same table at the meeting, accroding to the same newspaper report today.

The daily writes that it learned from the Serbian and Kosovo governments that they agreed to the so-called Gymnich format of the conference, considering that this meeting will be held on a ministerial level unlike the one in Slovenia recently, where presidents and prime ministers were invited.

Belgrade snubbed the informal gathering in Slovenia, saying that Kosovo Albanian officials could only take part as Kosovo-UNMIK, and without violating UNSC Resolution 1244 in the process.

“A model of participation of officials from Priština which is acceptable to Belgrade has been found, which includes personal presence of ministers without stating of their functions. Also, it has been agreed that there will be no photographing before and after the meeting, or joint statements for the public afterwards. This Gymnich model was the only solution under which we have agreed to sit with the representatives of authorities in Priština at the joint meeting, of course, in the presence of representatives of the EU mission in Kosovo,” State Secretary with the Kosovo Ministry Oliver Ivanović told the daily.

In Priština, government Spokesman Memli Krasniqi confirmed for the daily that Kosovo Albanian officials also agreed to the conditions and that Hyseni would be in Sarajevo on June 2.

“We're glad that Serbia has agreed to the Gymnich model, which was also offered for the meeting in Slovenia, where Serbia refused to participate. It's important to us that all participants of the meeting have an equal right to speak and to the respect of their positions. Considering that we're aware of how important regional cooperation is in the context of European integrations, but also in improving the living conditions of all citizens in the former Yugoslavia, we're happy that things have gotten better with Serbia's consent,“ Krasniqi explains.

Back in Belgrade, Serbian Deputy PM Božidar Đelić was quoted as saying that the ultimate achievement of the upcoming meeting in Sarajevo should not be only that it was held, but that Serbia and other countries, based on new EU development plan “Europe 2020“, create similar programs where concrete projects in five areas would be visible.

“Those areas are infrastructure, ecology, knowledge economy, social policy and energy. The countries of the region would then together coordinate the timing and priority projects and note joint interests and joint financial sources with the European partners. That shouldn't be another hand held out for the support of European taxpayers but joint work with joint interest. That must be a contribution of the meeting in Sarajevo and that's why Serbia will, I'm convinced, as soon as this month, come out with this plan,“ Đelić said.

According to Chief of the EU Delegation to Serbia Vincent Degert, the EU wants all of its partners in the region to participate at the regional conference in Sarajevo, since, according to him, the idea is to send a message that the entire Western Balkans has a European perspective.