Hoxha met separately with Peter Sørensen, the European Union’s Special Representative for the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue; Fadi Hajli, acting Secretary-General of the Union for the Mediterranean; and Tālis Linkaits, director of the Permanent Secretariat of the Transport Community.

The meetings were held on the sidelines of the Bled Strategic Forum, which Hoxha said provided valuable opportunities for exchanges with a range of stakeholders on issues of importance to Albania and the wider region.

Foreign Minister said the discussions centred on dialogue, stability and regional cooperation, as well as the need to accelerate the Western Balkans’ connectivity and integration with the European space.

In his meeting with Sørensen, Hoxha underlined the importance of maintaining a sustained, results-oriented dialogue capable of delivering concrete and tangible progress towards the normalisation of relations between Kosovo and Serbia.

He described progress in the dialogue as essential to advancing peace and stability in the region.

Talks with Hajli focused on strengthening Euro-Mediterranean cooperation and identifying opportunities to advance concrete projects in areas important for regional development and prosperity.

With Linkaits, Hoxha discussed connectivity, infrastructure and mobility as key drivers of a more integrated Western Balkans and closer links with the European market and economic space.

“Dialogue, connectivity and cooperation are three pillars of a more stable, integrated and European region,” Hoxha said.

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In Kosovo, delays in forming new institutions following elections, combined with political turmoil in Serbia, have left the process effectively frozen, according to experts. They also argue that the EU should impose clearer conditions on Serbia, including accountability for those responsible for a deadly attack in the northern village of Banjska and Belgrade’s lobbying against Kosovo’s membership in international organizations.

Talks at the level of chief negotiators did take place. Kosovo’s Besnik Bislimi and Serbia’s Petar Petkovic met twice in Brussels in 2025, but failed to agree on concrete steps to implement the Brussels Basic Agreement and its Ohrid annex, reached in 2023.

Former Kosovo chief negotiator Avni Arifi told KosovaPress that no real progress was made in 2025 because Kosovo was governed by a caretaker administration without full legitimacy.

“When you do not have a government, there is no legitimacy to participate meaningfully in dialogue,” Arifi said, adding that Kosovo’s failure to form institutions was the main reason talks stalled. He described the meetings held during the year as largely symbolic.

Arbëreshe Loxha, a researcher at the Group for Legal and Political Studies (GLPS), said progress was also undermined by Serbia’s refusal to implement agreements and its continued lobbying against Kosovo’s international recognition.

She said the Banjska attack constituted a violation of the Ohrid agreement and that the EU should prioritize the full implementation of past deals, as well as accountability for those responsible.

Caretaker Prime Minister Albin Kurti said in an interview with KosovaPress on Sunday that dialogue could not move forward unless Milan Radoicic, whom Kosovo accuses of leading the Banjska attack, is handed over to Kosovo authorities. Radoicic has been indicted by Kosovo prosecutors, but Serbia has not extradited him.

The European Union did not respond to questions from KosovaPress about the future of the dialogue.

Kosovo held snap parliamentary elections on Dec. 28. Preliminary results show the ruling Vetëvendosje party winning more than 49%, and it is expected to form a government with support from non-majority communities.

Kosovo and Serbia agreed in principle to the Brussels agreement and its Ohrid annex in 2023, but neither side has implemented the deal. A key provision, the establishment of an Association of Serb-Majority Municipalities, remains unaddressed by Kosovo’s government, which has rejected sending an EU-drafted proposal to the constitutional court, calling it a non-binding document.

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In the joint press conference with the German president, Begaj said that regarding the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue the Franco-German proposal or the “Brussels proposal” is welcome.

According to him, it is important for these countries to implement these agreements.

While the president of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier emphasized that “the sender of the proposals is not important. Any contribution to reducing the escalation of conflicts is welcome. Otherwise, I can say a lot of respect for my colleague and friend Laicak, who has made it a passionate mission to handle this process of normalizing the dialogue thanks to his experience, knowhow and patience.”

During the press conference, President Begaj said that Albania welcomes yesterday’s decision to liberalize visas for citizens of Kosovo and thanked Germany for the support it has given to this process.
“We appreciate the cooperation and harmonization of positions in organizations, such as the United Nations, OSCE, the Council of Europe, etc., and express our thanks to Germany for supporting Kosovo’s application to the Council of Europe”, the Head of State emphasized.
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