Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti has accused the European mediator in the dialogue aimed at normalizing relations with Serbia of taking an anti-Kosovo stance.
During a press conference in Pristina on September 18, Kurti asserted that in the recent round of dialogue, he detected a clear bias against Kosovo as a whole and, in particular, against the Agreement concerning the normalization of relations. He was referring to the EU’s Special Representative for the dialogue, Miroslav Lajčák.
Kurti suggested that there seemed to be a coordinated effort between Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić and Lajčák to create an “alternative scenario” in which only part of the agreement would be implemented.
“In the coming days, I will certainly hold meetings with all international actors who have recognized Kosovo as a state and wish to assist and support us in terms of democratic state-building, socio-economic development, and international recognition, particularly the normalization of relations with Serbia, which we have already addressed through the Basic Agreement of mutual de facto recognition,” Kurti stated.
When asked whether he would seek the replacement of Lajčák in the dialogue process, Kurti responded that the high-ranking European official was not accountable to him but rather to the European Commission, the European Council, and the European Parliament.
“I believe that what we have stated in recent days, especially today, should be sufficient for accountability within those [European] institutions,” Kurti declared.
Prime Minister Kurti summarized the outcomes of the bilateral and trilateral meetings that took place in Brussels on September 14.
He rejected Brussels’ claims that he had turned down a sequencing plan for the Basic Agreement, asserting that he had presented his own plan for implementing the agreement during the meeting.
Kurti also sought clarification from the EU on whether Serbia had submitted a document outlining the agreement’s implementation. A document was provided at the end of the meeting, dated July 19, which, according to Kurti, had been rejected during the Kosovo-Serbia chief negotiators’ meeting in Brussels on the same date.
According to him, this document stipulated that the Association of Serb-majority municipalities should be established first, followed by discussions on the EU’s plan, and he argued that the document had “transformed into the mediator’s plan”.
Kurti also fielded questions about the punitive measures imposed by the EU on Kosovo due to its failure to meet international conditions for reducing tensions in northern Kosovo.
The Kosovar Prime Minister contended that there had been no tensions in the north for some time. Instead, Kosovo had reduced its police presence in the region and introduced an administrative directive that allowed the removal of municipal leaders through a petition.
“De-escalation should be considered sufficient grounds for lifting these measures,” he emphasized.
The latest round of dialogue in Brussels on September 14 between Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić and Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti concluded without any progress toward normalizing relations.
This marked the first meeting between Vučić and Kurti since the outbreak of violence in northern Kosovo in late May.
The European Union stated that Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti was not willing to move forward, unlike Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vučić, who “accepted their proposal” for implementing the Basic Agreement regarding the normalization of Kosovo-Serbia relations.
Josep Borrell, the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs, and Miroslav Lajčák, the EU’s Special Envoy for the dialogue, mediated the meeting. Kurti insisted on Serbia’s de facto recognition of Kosovo being formalized first.
In Brussels, Kurti argued that “Serbia’s conditioning” for the establishment of the Association of Serb-majority municipalities had “become the position of the EU envoys”, while Vučić contended that Kurti simply “avoided the establishment of the Association… that’s the crux of the matter”.
