The European Union called on Kosovo on Tuesday to start work on the establishment of the Association of Serb-majority municipalities, without delays and without preconditions.
The calls followed a meeting of European Union foreign ministers in New York who were briefed by the bloc’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell regarding the last meeting between Kosovo and Serbia on September 14, in which the parties failed to make any progress. .
In a communiqué published today, it is stated that the European Union expresses its concern with the lack of implementation of the commitments of Kosovo and Serbia within the framework of the agreement for the normalization of relations between them, emphasizing that the parties have taken obligations which play an important role in their path integrative.
“The EU asks the parties to engage constructively and in good faith. This means starting the implementation of the normalization agreement based on the EU proposal without further delay, which also includes the obligation of both parties to fully implement all agreements previously reached in the dialogue. The work on the establishment of the Association of municipalities with a Serbian majority must begin without any delay or further preconditions”, the communiqué states.
Kosovo and Serbia agreed in February in Brussels and in March in Ohrid for an agreement based on a European plan that does not include mutual recognition but requires good neighborly relations, recognition of documents and symbols and respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity. of each other. It requires that the parties do not hinder each other in the integration processes and envisages the fulfillment of all agreements previously reached in the negotiations mediated by the European Union, including the one for the Association of municipalities with a Serbian majority in Kosovo.
Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic disagreed last week on steps to implement the Ohrid agreement, while European officials said it was Prime Minister Kurti who did not accept a proposal for “simultaneous fulfillment” of obligations. arising from this agreement.
On Monday, Prime Minister Kurti blamed the European envoy for the Kosovo-Serbia talks, Miroslav Lajcak, for the failure of the talks, accusing him of bias and attitudes against Pristina.
European officials said they do not want to comment on Prime Minister Kurti’s statements, but the bloc’s Foreign Ministers reiterated their full support for European mediators. The US Department of State in a statement to the Voice of America on Monday praised what it called Mr. Lajcak’s tireless efforts in the Kosovo-Serbia talks.
The European Union reminded the parties on Tuesday of the responsibility to respect the principle of good faith in the dialogue, evaluating it as “an essential element for any politically sensitive negotiation process”.
In the announcement, the bloc expresses concern about the lack of progress by the parties to reduce tensions in the northern municipalities of Kosovo, which have been engulfed by tensions since May, when groups of Serbs protested against the sending of mayors with police forces to the offices of them in the north.
In this context, it is further stated in the announcement, “Kosovo’s actions, including the expropriation of land in the north, orders for the release of buildings, telecommunications and the use of special police units for public order duties, are not in accordance with the rule of law and risk contributing to increasing tensions”.
The communiqués also state that “continuous low-level attacks by criminal groups and intimidation of newly recruited Serbian policemen and cadets and the local population are unacceptable and must be stopped immediately”.
Western diplomats are calling on the parties to speed up the normalization process amid concerns that Russia could use Belgrade to stoke ethnic conflicts in the Balkans to divert the world’s attention from its aggression in Ukraine.
