The Minister of Foreign Affairs of North Macedonia and the Chairperson of the OSCE Bujar Osmani presented a multi-point plan to de-escalate the situation in northern Kosovo, to the heads of the OSCE missions in Kosovo, Serbia, and North Macedonia. The plan is actually identical to the European Union guidelines supported by the United States. Osmani stated that his country is actively promoting dialogue and reducing tensions due to the risk of irreparable damage to the region.
As the Chairperson of the OSCE, the Foreign Minister of North Macedonia Bujar Osmani aims for the organization to assist in facilitating dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia, but primarily for the de-escalation of the situation in northern Kosovo.
The head of diplomacy in Skopje hopes that a nine-point guideline or plan will be implemented by the parties; although this “guideline” does not significantly differ from the demands presented to Kosovo and Serbia by Brussels and Washington.
“Kosovo and Serbia should reaffirm their commitment to the implementation of the Brussels Agreement and the Ohrid Annex. There is no alternative to dialogue; agreements must be implemented. Any failure to implement the agreements reached only erodes trust between parties and further exacerbates the situation. The other points of the guideline directly address the de-escalation of the situation in northern Kosovo and imply: the immediate withdrawal of special forces of Kosovo from northern Kosovo, meaning that regular police, along with KFOR and other organizations, maintain order in the north. Meanwhile, Serbia should reduce the level of military readiness in northern Kosovo. New elections should be announced in these four municipalities to enable the participation of the Serbian community, which will restore legitimacy. Legality is already there, but the legitimacy of the municipal leaders in northern Kosovo needs to be restored, thus creating trust and the return of the Serbian community to the institutions of Kosovo. Here, the OSCE is ready to assist solely with expertise, advice, and, of course, the establishment of trust for the participation of the Serbian community, with a focus on youth,” said Osmani, listing some of the points of the “guideline”.
During the meeting with the heads of the missions of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, Ambassadors Jan Braathu in Serbia, Michael Davenport in Kosovo, and Kilian Vahl in Skopje, Osmani expressed that “the offered guideline encourages an atmosphere of dialogue and cooperation”. He discussed the possible perspectives of de-escalating the situation between the two neighboring countries of North Macedonia, Kosovo, and Serbia, but also addressed other regional issues.
North Macedonia wishes to present itself as a success story in the region and beyond, with the Ohrid Agreement that ended the conflict in 2001, and in this line, with the organization of the Ohrid meeting on 18 March between Prime Minister Kurti and President Vučić mediated by the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell and European and U.S. envoys Miroslav Lajčák and Gabriel Escobar.
Western diplomats are calling on Kosovo and Serbia to reduce tensions and pave the way for holding new elections in the four municipalities in the north. Kosovo is urged to suspend police operations in municipal buildings in the north and for the four mayors to temporarily perform their duties outside the municipal offices. On the other hand, Serbia should ensure that protesters leave the municipal buildings simultaneously with the withdrawal of the Kosovo Police. However, neither party has shown readiness to compromise.
