Kosovo\u2019s Prime Minister Albin Kurti has accused the European mediator in the dialogue aimed at normalizing relations with Serbia of taking an anti-Kosovo stance.<\/p>\n
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\u2019s Special Representative for the dialogue, Miroslav Laj\u010d\u00e1k.<\/p>\n
Kurti suggested that there seemed to be a coordinated effort between Serbian President Aleksandar Vu\u010di\u0107 and Laj\u010d\u00e1k to create an \u201calternative scenario\u201d in which only part of the agreement would be implemented.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn 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,\u201d Kurti stated.<\/p>\n
When asked whether he would seek the replacement of Laj\u010d\u00e1k 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cI believe that what we have stated in recent days, especially today, should be sufficient for accountability within those [European] institutions,\u201d Kurti declared.<\/p>\n
Prime Minister Kurti summarized the outcomes of the bilateral and trilateral meetings that took place in Brussels on September 14.<\/p>\n
He rejected Brussels\u2019 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.<\/p>\n
Kurti also sought clarification from the EU on whether Serbia had submitted a document outlining the agreement\u2019s 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\u2019 meeting in Brussels on the same date.<\/p>\n
According to him, this document stipulated that the Association of Serb-majority municipalities should be established first, followed by discussions on the EU\u2019s plan, and he argued that the document had \u201ctransformed into the mediator\u2019s plan\u201d.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cDe-escalation should be considered sufficient grounds for lifting these measures,\u201d he emphasized.<\/p>\n
The latest round of dialogue in Brussels on September 14 between Serbian President Aleksandar Vu\u010di\u0107 and Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti concluded without any progress toward normalizing relations.<\/p>\n
This marked the first meeting between Vu\u010di\u0107 and Kurti since the outbreak of violence in northern Kosovo in late May.<\/p>\n
The European Union stated that Kosovo\u2019s Prime Minister Albin Kurti was not willing to move forward, unlike Serbia\u2019s President Aleksandar Vu\u010di\u0107, who \u201caccepted their proposal\u201d for implementing the Basic Agreement regarding the normalization of Kosovo-Serbia relations.<\/p>\n
Josep Borrell, the EU\u2019s High Representative for Foreign Affairs, and Miroslav Laj\u010d\u00e1k, the EU\u2019s Special Envoy for the dialogue, mediated the meeting. Kurti insisted on Serbia\u2019s de facto recognition of Kosovo being formalized first.<\/p>\n
In Brussels, Kurti argued that \u201cSerbia\u2019s conditioning\u201d for the establishment of the Association of Serb-majority municipalities had \u201cbecome the position of the EU envoys\u201d, while Vu\u010di\u0107 contended that Kurti simply \u201cavoided the establishment of the Association… that\u2019s the crux of the matter\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Kosovo\u2019s 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, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":57843,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[163],"tags":[865,308,300,1929,150,243,151,383,428,301,787],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n