Serbia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the recently approved draft laws on judicial jurisdiction in Kosovo and to declare Kosovo a “special social protection area” do not violate the obligations from the dialogue for the normalization of relations, which is mediated by the European Union.

“The legislation aims to protect the rights and social security of the Serbian people in Kosovo, in line with our broader commitment to stability in the region,” said the statement of the Serbian MFA, published on X.

“Even with the resolution of the United Nations, approved by the General Assembly, through which the EU assumed the role of mediator of the dialogue, it is said that the dialogue should aim at improving people’s lives. With the proposed measures, Belgrade intends to achieve exactly this goal: to improve the living conditions and the quality of life of the Serbs in Kosovo”, the statement added.

The Government of Serbia announced at the beginning of the week that it approved a draft law on, as it called, the organization and competence of the Serbian judicial authorities in the prosecution of criminal offenses committed on the territory of Kosovo, as well as another draft law on the declaration of Kosovo as ” area of ​​special social protection”.

These draft-laws have been criticized by the United States and the European Union during the week, which said they clearly violate Serbia’s obligations from the dialogue with Kosovo to normalize relations.

Serbia’s MFA said it is committed to open dialogue with all its international partners, including the US and the EU. The Serbian Foreign Ministry, headed by Marko Djuric, called on all parties for constructive dialogue to address all concerns regarding the legislation passed by the Serbian authorities.

“Serbia remains fully engaged in the dialogue process and is committed to the implementation of all agreements, including the one for the Association of municipalities with a Serbian majority. We believe that all parties, including international partners, should support an open and cooperative approach to ensure that the dialogue remains effective and with mutual respect”, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Serbia.