Brussels, 2 June 2025
The Acting First Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, Besnik Bislimi, held a bilateral meeting in Brussels with the European Union Special Representative for the Kosovo-Serbia Dialogue, Peter Sørensen.
Below is Deputy Prime Minister Bislimi’s media statement following the meeting.
Question: Mr. Bislimi, what did you discuss with Mr. Sørensen, given that this was your first meeting here in Brussels since he was appointed as Special Representative for the Dialogue?
Answer: Yes, this was the first bilateral meeting with Mr. Sørensen since his appointment to this position. Initially, he presented to us the approach he intends to take in the next stages of the dialogue—both at the level of chief negotiators and in high-level meetings, which are then led by Ms. Kallas. In our bilateral meeting, we raised a number of topics that we believe require swift responses or solutions from Brussels.
For example, we addressed the issue of integrated border management, where Serbia continues to fall significantly short in fulfilling its obligations—such as failing to build three designated border crossing points—or in responding to our proposals, including opening seasonal crossing points in Bujanoc, such as Dobrosin, Muhovc, and Breznicë, to accommodate the higher volume of travelers returning from the diaspora during peak periods. We also discussed challenges related to the recognition of phytosanitary and veterinary certificates, where Serbia continues to impose unjustified barriers.
We further raised the issue of the very high costs resulting from the non-operational interconnection lines between Kosovo and Serbia. These are unfulfilled obligations by Serbia under the energy agreement. We outlined the extent of the annual losses that Kosovo incurs as a result and the artificial barriers that Serbia continues to impose.
We also discussed a crucial initiative for supporting Albanians in the Presevo Valley, through aid packages directed at small-scale farmers. These funds have been blocked by Serbia in the bank accounts of the Albanian National Council, and we requested a prompt resolution to unblock these funds.
We also addressed Serbia’s disinformation campaign, which has been launched on multiple fronts with the aim of misleading international partners and increasing pressure on the Serbian community in Kosovo, along with other related issues.
A trilateral meeting had also been planned, but it could not take place due to complications with the Serbian delegation, which was unable to arrive in Brussels because of delays in Vienna or a similar issue.
Question: Here in Brussels, EU diplomats often express uncertainty about whether these meetings are meaningful, given the current situation in Kosovo—which they refer to as an “institutional vacuum.” Does this affect the dialogue process?
Answer: Obviously, there are difficulties, as high-level meetings cannot be held at the moment. However, there are still several issues where Kosovo can benefit—provided there is constructive engagement from Serbia. I believe it would be wrong for us to miss these opportunities just because there are obstacles in the constitution of the Assembly in Prishtina.
