Problem or solution?

Problem or solution?

Two strong leaders with two strong mandates - a prerequisite to reaching problems or solutions faster?

The dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina on the normalization of relations has been going on for 10 years, and will continue with a meeting at the highest political level on June 15, when Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti will sit at the same table in Brussels for the first time.

Before the new round, the EU, which is the main mediator in this process, says that the only thing that is expected and certain is that Vucic and Kurti will meet, and that neither the possible results of the talks nor the potential next steps in the process can be predicted.

"Both interlocutors pledged to come to the meeting on Tuesday. We cannot plan anything further than that. Whether they will find a common language or not, whether everyone will be constructive, whether they will agree on how to proceed with the process or not, all that remains to be seen on Tuesday," diplomatic sources from the European External Action Service said.

Before the new round, the EU, which is the main mediator in this process, says that the only thing that is expected and certain is that Vucic and Kurti will meet, and that neither the possible results of the talks nor the potential next steps in the process can be predicted. "Both interlocutors pledged to come to the meeting on Tuesday. We cannot plan anything further than that. Whether they will find a common language or not, whether everyone will be constructive, whether they will agree on how to proceed with the process or not, all that remains to be seen on Tuesday," diplomatic sources from the European External Action Service (EEAS) said. Such cautious assessments of the mediators in the dialogue are based on the fact that the two negotiators come to Brussels with completely different positions when it comes to almost everything: from the framework, principles, content, to the outcome of the dialogue on normalization of relations between Belgrade and Pristina.

For the Prime Minister of Kosovo, with his entry into the negotiation process, a "new dialogue" will begin, which, as Kurti says, cannot continue on what the previous authorities in Pristina did. "We want a well-prepared dialogue where we will all be equal," Kurti states, and reiterates his personal position that he sees the solution to the dialogue in mutual recognition.

For the President of Serbia, mutual recognition is out of the question. Vučić sees the solution in the compromise, which "broadly defines" the defense of the state and national interests of Serbia and the Serbian people. Belgrade is currently putting the formation of the Community of Serbian Municipalities in the first place of its interests in the dialogue. On Kurti's position that a single-ethnic community cannot be formed on the territory of Kosovo, Vučić told him not to come to the meeting in Brussels if he did not want to discuss the formation of the CSM.

Will there be Biden's intervention?

Having in mind such different positions, as well as the fact that the two leaders are meeting "face to face" for the first time, while so far they have only "at a distance" commented on each other's positions, the EU envisions possible scenarios.

"If everything goes in a positive direction, the leaders may decide to continue talks at a bilateral lunch after the meeting, which is scheduled to last about 4 hours, which we will certainly provide. If there is an unforeseen situation, problem or one of the interlocutors does not agree to continue with talks, in the process, the head of EU diplomacy, Josep Borrell, is ready to talk about it on the same day, face to face, with the President of the United States, Joseph Biden, with whom he is meeting within the EU-US summit," EU diplomatic sources said. It is noticeable that since the change of administration in Washington, the EU is increasingly talking in the plural about the "expectations of the EU and the USA" from Belgrade and Pristina. After Albin Kurti openly informed Brussels that he would appear in talks with Belgrade when he was "ready" and not when announced by EU chief mediator Josep Borrell, Washington is expected to use its influence to "prepare" Kosovo's Prime Minister for constructive negotiations.

"No new dialogue"

Experts on Kurti's character and work warn that he is "striving for cooperation" for Brussels, but also for Washington - from his predecessors at the head of the Kosovo authorities and in the dialogue with Belgrade.

As a kind of response to the Kosovo Prime Minister before the meeting on Tuesday, he emphasizes that "there is no new dialogue" but that this is a process that has been going on since 2011 and which "has remained the same despite changes in negotiation partners and governments in Belgrade and Pristina." One of the working documents of the European External Action Service, presented to the EU Council last month, envisages the possibility of reaching a legally binding agreement between Belgrade and Pristina by the end of 2021.

Many would assess this as unfounded optimism in a situation when not a single meeting can be predicted. On the other hand, if two leaders with such undeniably strong mandates obtained from the citizens, manage to find a space between interest and compromise, perhaps the solution to the "Kosovo issue" has never been closer.