Brussels, June 2 – The tripartite meeting between Kosovo, Serbia, and the European Union scheduled for Monday in Brussels did not take place due to delays from the Serbian delegation, Kosovo’s acting Deputy Prime Minister Besnik Bislimi confirmed.
In a statement to Koha, Bislimi said that although a trilateral meeting had been planned, it was cancelled because the Serbian team failed to arrive on time. Instead, Bislimi held a bilateral meeting with the EU’s newly appointed Special Representative for the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, Peter Sorensen.
“This was our first meeting with Mr. Sorensen, and we used the opportunity to present Kosovo’s approach to the upcoming stages of the dialogue,” Bislimi said. He added that future rounds of dialogue are expected to be led by Kaja Kallas, the newly elected President of the European Commission.
Key issues raised by the Kosovar side included: the implementation of the Integrated Border Management agreement; the opening of seasonal border points in Bujanoc and Breznica to facilitate travel for diaspora communities; and Serbia’s ongoing refusal to recognize Kosovo-issued certificates and documents.
Bislimi also called for the urgent unblocking of EU development funds intended for Albanians in Serbia’s Presevo Valley and condemned what he described as a persistent disinformation campaign by Serbia against Kosovo in the international arena.
“These are pressing issues that require immediate attention and concrete responses from Brussels,” Bislimi emphasized.
The failure to hold the tripartite meeting highlights ongoing challenges in advancing the EU-facilitated dialogue, particularly amid growing tensions and lack of cooperation from the Serbian side.