Germany has urged Kosovo and Serbia to enforce the Agreement for normalization and commit to defusing the situation in northern Kosovo.

In Kosovo, the German Ambassador, Jörn Rohde, has emphasized the critical nature of the upcoming high-level dialogue scheduled for September 14.

He has stressed the necessity for both parties to wholeheartedly dedicate themselves to complete de-escalation, EU-mediated dialogue, and participatory democracy.

Rohde has further underscored the immediate execution of the Ohrid Agreement while discouraging finger-pointing. He has called for the removal of obstacles to progress and urged that it’s time for actions that benefit everyone.

High-level meeting on 9/14 comes at a critical moment. We need both sides' full commitment to de-escalation, 🇪🇺-mediated dialogue & participative democracy. Ohrid Agreement must be implemented NOW.
No more blame games. Remove obstacles for progress. Time to act for all's benefit

— Ambassador Jörn Rohde (@GermanAmbKOS) September 11, 2023

In Brussels, Kosovo and Serbia reached an Agreement on normalizing relations in February, followed by an accord on its implementation in Ohrid in March.

This comprehensive agreement, consisting of 11 points, doesn’t encompass the mutual recognition sought by Kosovo. Instead, it requires both Kosovo and Serbia to recognize each other’s official documents and symbols, including passports, diplomats, and license plates.

The new round of dialogue comes after several months of heightened tensions in northern Kosovo. Expected participants in the meeting include Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti, and Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vučić.

Kurti and Vučić, the key figures in the dialogue, last met on May 2, just nine days after extraordinary elections took place in northern Kosovo. Notably, these elections were boycotted by the local Serbian population.

The recently elected Albanian leaders from these elections have encountered opposition from local Serbs. The situation escalated when they attempted to access municipal buildings at the end of May, leading to violent clashes on May 29 in Zvecan between Serbian protesters and KFOR peacekeeping mission personnel.

Both the EU and the United States have consistently called upon Kosovo and Serbia to ease tensions. Pristina has been called upon to facilitate new elections, while Belgrade has been encouraged to motivate Serbs to participate in the electoral process.

In a recent development, Kosovo has introduced an administrative directive that enables citizens to remove municipal leaders through a petition.