The Ambassador of Germany in Kosovo, Jorn Rohde, has asked the government to take concrete steps to establish the Association of municipalities with a Serbian majority. He said that this action is essential for the integration of Serbs in Kosovar institutions.
The German diplomat underlined the need for Kosovo and Serbia to implement the Brussels Basic Agreement and the Ohrid annex.
“What we need is integration, reconciliation and compromise and the way to achieve this is on the table. You know, as Jeff said, there is no alternative to dialogue when you have actors that you have to engage, and they are called the Brussels and Ohrid agreements. We urgently need to engage this new team in Brussels. In order to get the expansion chapter, and I say it again and again, Kosovo must be active in this matter of the ASM, because it is a clear way to integrate the Serbian minority of Kosovo and also to show that Kosovo thereby shows that for them, this agreement is alive. Otherwise, the EU remains elusive for both Kosovo and Serbia. You know, you can’t convince members if you can’t meet the minimum. And, I mean, if Kosovo or if the EU does not expand to the Western Balkans, the people of the Western Balkans will continue to move towards the EU”, he said at the third edition of the Kosovo Summit for Peace and Democracy.
In addition, Rohde emphasized the need to unblock decision-making in the CEFTA regional organization before the Berlin Process summit on October 14.
“We have big options on the table at the moment, we have the gross facility, I think close to 900 million for Kosovo, you know Serbia a few billion, other countries too. The Berlin process, as you have seen publicly, has been very engaged in… Western allies to reach a compromise ahead of the October 14 weekend summit, a bloc, and more or less a dozen deals stalled for several years. And for me, the membership in the Council of Europe remains on the table and this is particularly important, also for the rights and issues of minorities”, Rohde emphasized./KosovaPress
