Lajcak urges Kosovo-Serbia to continue negotiations after failure to reach agreement on vehicle plates

English

Gazeta Express

21/04/2022 19:09

The European Union Special Representative for Kosovo-Serbia Dialogue confirmed that no agreement has been reached on licence plates during Thursday’s meeting of chief negotiators of both countries.

Lajcak has invited chief negotiators Besnik Bislimi of Kosovo and Petar Petkovic of Serbia to meet again in coming days to agree on the way forward and continue discussions on other issues.

“No agreement has been reached on licence plates today. I invite Chief negotiators to meet again in coming days to agree on the way forward & continue discussions on other current issues. We expect all actors to refrain from actions, which could jeopardise the security on the ground,” Lajcak wrote on Twitter after trilateral meeting held in Brussels.

Kosovo chief negotiator Besnik Bislimi addressing media after meeting with his Serbian counterpart Petkovic facilitated by Lajcak, said that Serbian side has neither present nor accepted any of the modalities on use of vehicle plates. Furthermore, according to Bsilimi, Serbian delegation has refused a proposal that the issue of vehicle plates to be discussed at the level of chief negotiators and an acceptable solution to be achieved within 20 days.

On 30 September 2021 Kosovo and Serbia agreed to a temporary deal on use of vehicle plates, under condition that a final permanent solution should be found within six months. Under the provisional deal, Kosovo and Serbia agreed that vehicles of both countries, when entering territory of each other to cover their state symbols in vehicle plates with white stickers. The provisional agreement was reached after days of protests in northern part of Kosovo when local Serbs blocked roads, to oppose the Kosovo Government decision on reciprocity of vehicle plates. The reciprocity meant Kosovo introducing probation plates for vehicles entering from Serbia, a measure which was applied by Serbian authorities at the border. /GazetaExpress/