Thaci on EU’s proposed envoy on dialogue, ‘Lajcak closed the phone and voted against Kosovo’s membership in UNESCO’

Gazeta Express

04/03/2020 17:52

Kosovo president Hashim Thaci has criticised the EU’s choice to appoint Slovakian foreign minister, Miroslav Lajcak, as special envoy on Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, Gazeta Express reports. Thaci said Kosovo trusts more the US President Donald Trump and its envoy Richard Grenell on taking a leading role in the dialogue, Gazeta Express reports.

During a press conference on Wednesday Thaci said that he will not deny the EU’s role in reaching agreement with Serbia despite challenges. “Today five EU countries have not recognised Kosovo and we have the EU High Representative Josep Borrell coming from a country which has not recognised Kosovo’s independence, most likely we will have a special envoy on Kosovo, Slovakian foreign minister, Miroslav Lajcak who also comes from a country which has not recognised Kosovo,” Thaci said.

“I have met Mr. Lajcak and told him clearly that you will not achieve success in Kosovo, because all these years he served as Slovakian Foreign Minister, a country which has not recognised Kosovo. And what is position towards Kosovo? Neutral? No thank you,” Thaci said. He also criticised the EU for not liberalisation of visas for Kosovo as a first step to return Kosovo’s citizens trust in the EU. Thaci emphasised EU’s disunity in solving Kosovo issue, and mentioned Lajcak’s vote against Kosovo’s membership in UNESCO. “Who guarantees that Lajcak comes to Pristina and all EU members support him. This EU’s disunity in Brussels, this wrong approach, by appointing such a personality as envoy is a strategic mistake. It is a wrong choice in Kosovo-Serbia dialogue process,” Thaci said proposing that the EU should appoint someone else who is not neutral towards Kosovo. “I am witness when we lost membersjip in UNESCO after we fell only two votes short, and these crucial votes were promised to Kosovo at the end the person who closed the phone and voted against was Miroslav Lajcak,” Thaci said. /GazetaExpress/