Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti said he cannot order new Albanian mayors in Serb-majority municipalities in the north to move to other offices outside the municipal buildings.
This is the official request of the Serb protesters who oppose the Albanian leaders, but also of the international community, which says that this action would reduce tensions.
“If I now ordered the mayors to move to other offices, it would seem as if I am engaging in the creation of parallel structures to parallel structures,” said Kurti, referring to the Serbian parallel structures operating in the north of Kosovo after the war.
“I cannot sit in the office as prime minister and tell the mayors in the north: you should not stay in the municipal facilities. I know they can stay much shorter than their mandate, they are technicians, administrative,” Kurti said during an address from Bratislava, where he is participating in a security forum.
This is a direct response of the Prime Minister to the demands that the United States addressed to the Government of Kosovo a day ago.
These requests, made through the US Ambassador to Kosovo Jeffrey Hovenier, are for the Government not to insist that mayors work from municipal buildings and to withdraw police officers from the three municipal buildings in the north.
“We do not understand why alternative locations, or other public buildings, cannot be used to perform their functions,” said Hovenier, recalling that the mayors in question were sworn in at alternative locations.
Kurti also defended the actions of the Kosovo Police, which helped install the new Albanian mayors, despite resistance from local residents.
“Our Police are doing professional work, they are trained, they know human rights and there are no violations by our police.”
Kurti reiterated this stance despite harsh reactions by the international community, which called the installation of Albanian mayors by force “unacceptable”.
“If they want peaceful protests, with a request for snap elections, they have a prime minister who has been a political activist all his life and is more than willing to listen to them and maybe agree with them.”
Kurti said that he is “worried most of the time, but never afraid” because of the situation in the north, while expressing sorrow over the measures taken by the United States against Kosovo, starting with the cancellation of the “Defender Europe 2023” military exercises.
According to him, finding a solution to this situation has two trajectories:
“First, let us get out of this crisis in the north: which means the rule of law. These mobs will either go back to Serbia or be in prison in Kosovo, as well as, reduce the number of policemen in municipal facilities and normalize the situation. The second way is the immediate and unconditional implementation of the basic agreement we agreed with Serbia.”
The new Albanian mayors of the municipalities of North Mitrovica, Zvečan, Zubin Potok and Leposavić were elected in the special local elections of April 23rd, which were boycotted by the ethnic Serb community.
Tensions increased on May 26th, with the new mayors entering the municipal buildings escorted by the Kosovo Police.
