Former European Union special envoy for the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue Miroslav Lajcak will serve as an adviser to Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico on strategic foreign and security policy issues.

Lajcak confirmed the appointment to the Serbian press. He will take office on Tuesday, 1 April.

During his tenure as special envoy, Miroslav Lajcak came under criticism for his mismanagement of the delicate dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia. Austrian MEP Thomas Weitz and his colleagues have repeatedly accused Lajcak of "obvious bias towards Serbia".

Weitz questioned the very basis of the then envoy's diplomatic efforts, pointing out how Lajcak constantly downplayed Serbian aggression while carefully "examining" provocations from the Kosovo side.

Lajcak's actions as EU envoy to the Western Balkans have raised serious doubts as to whether his primary allegiance is to EU principles or to interests linked to Belgrade and Moscow.

On the other hand, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico's pro-Russian policies have generated mass protests against his cabinet. | BGNES