EU says dialogue not compromised after Lajcak's involvement in Epstein dossier

The European Union is of the opinion that the recent revelations about Miroslav Lajcak's character, his mention in the infamous Epstein dossier and his love for the Russian Foreign Minister have not compromised the dialogue process between Kosovo and Serbia, which Miroslav Lajcak has facilitated for five years.

In addition to the exchange of messages about women between Lajcak and Epstein, about which Lajcak first said that "there were never any exchanges where women were mentioned", and later regretted his involvement, calling it "naivety driven by male egoism", the former dialogue facilitator also offered in several messages to arrange meetings with senior Russian officials, including Foreign Minister Lavrov. "I love Lavrov", Lajcak said.

In diplomatic circles and in the EU, doubts are already being expressed as to whether Lajcak's behavior has compromised the work he is involved in, given that one of the European Union's main concerns for the Western Balkans region has been preventing Russian influence.

Here is how EU foreign affairs spokesperson Anitta Hipper responded to the question of whether these revelations about Lajcak from the "Epstein files" have compromised the dialogue process.

"When it comes to the dialogue, it remains unaffected as such by these developments. The dialogue has been a sustainable process since 2011, which is owned by the parties and led by the High Representative, and the dialogue is also continuously under the supervision of member states," the spokeswoman said.

The Kosovo government has accused the EU facilitator of being unbiased in his work during the dialogue process. These accusations from Kosovo have been met with strong criticism from the EU, which has strongly defended Lajcak. During his mandate, Lajcak has often criticized Kosovo more than Serbia in reports to member states for the lack of progress in the process of normalizing relations.

In addition to his role as facilitator of the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia, Lajčák has for years been among the EU's most senior diplomats engaged in the Western Balkans or in leading EU positions dedicated to this region. He had established a reputation as an irreplaceable expert on the region and was highly regarded by diplomats from other countries. He is fluent in Serbian, has served as a high representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as a managing director in the External Action Service, and most recently as national security advisor to the Prime Minister of Slovakia, Robert Fico.