Austrian MEP Thomas Waitz appeared on Euronews Albania this Wednesday to discuss on the latest developments in the tense situation between Kosovo and Serbia.
Speaking to journalist Thimi Samarxhiu, Waitz provided insights on various issues, including his criticism of the biased positions held by the European Union envoy for the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue.
During the interview, Waitz highlighted a significant mistake made by Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti.
“The unfortunate thing is that Prime Minister Kurti did not inform the allies about his actions. We did not expect this from Kurti. I openly say that Kurti’s movement was a political mistake,” said Waitz, referring to the fact that the Kosovo Prime Minister should have informed the international community about the actions taken towards Serbia.
Waitz further expressed concerns about President Aleksandar Vučić of Serbia, accusing him of playing a double game between Russia and the EU.
“We are used to promises from Vučić one day and actions in the opposite direction the next day. We have experienced betrayal from Vučić.”
Waitz urged the EU to take action against Serbia, not only in response to its actions towards Kosovo but also due to its dual engagement with the EU and Russia.
“I am of the impression that Vučić is not interested in a real solution. He is holding the issue with Kosovo as a problem, a burning problem in order to keep his people further away from the serious problems that Serbia is facing. He has a great position within the state. I don’t think Vučić will change his strategy,” remarked Waitz.
Regarding concerns on Miroslav Lajčák’s impartiality in the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia, which he also raised as an issue in a session of the European Parliament Committee on Foreign Affairs, Waitz gave the following reasoning as to why he thinks Lajčák is biased in the dialogue.
“Unfortunately, you can also see in his political history that he was Slovakia’s ambassador to Serbia and Slovakia’s foreign minister during Kosovo’s declaration of independence. Slovakia is a country that has not recognized Kosovo, and it is not a good prerequisite for being impartial in these negotiations. As a foreign minister he did not put in a good word about the recognition of Kosovo and he has very good relations with Serbia. We can see that his participation has not resulted in reducing tensions,” Waitz told Euronews Albania.
Waitz openly criticized the EU envoy’s failure to adequately address Serbian issues.
“Mr. Lajčák was reporting on the progress and success of the negotiations with Serbia and Kosovo, while also pointing out a very strange opinion when it comes to the Kosovar side. He gave the impression that the real aggression was coming from Kosovo, while it was clearly Serbia that attacked KFOR soldiers… When I confronted Lajčák with his biased remarks, he was providing certain conditions for the Serbian side, but unfortunately, he did not emphasize the Serbian side and their problems strongly enough.”
For Waitz there is no guarantee that the local Serbs in the northern municipalities of Kosovo will participate in new elections, should they be held.
“The Government of Kosovo is aligning with the democracy principles of the EU, and if the Serb List is yet again boycotting elections, I think that the entire EU will be clear on which side is mining democracy,” Waitz said.
The situation in northern Kosovo, an area predominantly populated by Serbs, has been tense since the end of May when Albanian mayors were installed in municipal buildings despite resistance of local residents.
Tensions have escalated into violent clashes between Serbian protesters and NATO’s Kosovo Force (KFOR) troops.
There have also been reports of grenade attacks and other incidents.
Kosovo and Serbia have blamed each other for the situation, but the international community has primarily held Kosovo responsible.
The European Union is demanding that Kosovo holds new local elections in the north and withdraws its special police from the region. On the other hand, Serbia is seeking to ensure the unhindered participation of Serbs in any possible local elections.
Serbs in the north boycotted the elections held on April 23, which resulted in the election of Albanian mayors in the municipalities of North Mitrovica, Zvečan, Zubin Potok, and Leposavić.
Kosovo’s leaders have expressed support for holding elections but within the legal framework of the state.