Lajcak: The Washington agreement is not an agreement nor is it binding

EPA / Andrej Čukić

EU Special Representative for the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue, Miroslav Lajcak, says he is optimistic about co-operation with the new administration in Washington on the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, as well as the entire Western Balkans.

– I am optimistic about the new administration in the United States, because people with whom the EU has already worked and who know the Western Balkans are returning. We do not have to explain things to them about the region and its European future. They have already proven to be reliable partners for both the Western Balkans and the EU – said Lajcak.

During a video discussion on “EU-US Cooperation Potentials in the Western Balkans” with German Ambassador to Washington Emily Heber, he assessed that the “EU-US tandem” did not work well “especially in the last year” when it comes, among other things, and the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue.

– It was clear that there were two approaches, and that was not what the European Union decided or wanted – said Lajcak.

He added that such a situation had led to “confusion” in Belgrade and Pristina, who he said were “confused and unwilling to choose between the EU and the US”.

– The lack of close cooperation between the EU and the USA is a loss for both sides in the dialogue process – Lajcak assessed.

Asked to assess the agreement between Belgrade and Pristina in Washington, with the mediation of President Donald Trump, Lajcak said that it was “not an agreement”, because it does not meet the criteria for that, but that it is a “political declaration that is not legally binding”.

– What was signed does not have an implementation mechanism and depends on the good will of the parties. We do not do that in Brussels. We are working on a clear agreement on who does what and when – Lajcak emphasized.

He concluded that everything that has been positively achieved in the Western Balkans in the last 20 years has been the result of close cooperation between the EU and the USA, and that such a successful policy will continue with the administration headed by Joseph Biden.