Lajcak discusses latest developments in Belgrade-Pristina dialogue in Rome

ROME - The EU special envoy for the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue Miroslav Lajcak held a series of meetings with Italian officials in Rome on Thursday to discuss the latest developments in the dialogue, wider regional issues and next steps in the coming months.

"Today, I met with the Diplomatic Advisor to PM Fabrizio Saggio, the Deputy Secretary-General at the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Carlo Lo Cascio and Adriatic and Balkans Director Andrea Cascone. I'm grateful for Italy's continuous support and close coordination in our shared efforts. From Rome, I'll head to Malta for another series of important consultations tomorrow," Lajcak wrote in a post on his official Facebook account.

"Earlier this week, while still in Brussels, I welcomed Dora Bakoyannis, Rapporteur for the Political Affairs Committee of PACE, to our headquarters. We exchanged updates on our respective files. I briefed her on the state of play in the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue and she informed me about her work in the past months.

The most intense part of the last week was undoubtedly last weekend’s annual Munich Security Conference. I participated in multiple events focused on the Western Balkans, including a public panel discussion on the future of the Western Balkans, where I emphasized the urgent need to normalize relations between Kosovo and Serbia. This normalization is fundamental for the region's stability, economic development, and progress towards the European Union," he added.

The situation in Kosovo-Metohija has deteriorated further following the February 1 entry into force of Pristina's regulation banning the Serbian dinar.