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Kosovo Post opened its first branch north of Mitrovica on Thursday, amid opposition from some Serbian political activists and representatives.
The opening of the Kosovo Post offices followed the closure of Serbian Post branches operating without a license in the north in a police operation earlier this month that prompted a reaction from Belgrade and Western diplomacy.
The authorities in Serbia and the political representatives of the Serbs in Kosovo assessed the closure of those branches as a "provocation for conflict" by the government in Pristina. Meanwhile, Western diplomacy expressed its disappointment with what were described as "unilateral and uncoordinated actions of the Kosovo government", including its intention to open the main bridge over the Iber River in Mitrovica.
The French President, Emanuel Macron, warned today against the actions described as unilateral, in an editorial published in the Serbian pro-government daily "Politika", just before starting a two-day visit to Belgrade.
In his letter, President Macron also addressed the issue of the Serbian minority in Kosovo, reiterating his commitment to the agreement reached between the parties in February and March 2023 in Brussels and Ohrid for the normalization of relations, based on a plan drawn up by France and Germany.
He wrote that the Franco-German proposal preserves "the possibility for Serbs to live in Kosovo respecting the law, but not giving up their identity or natural ties with Serbia, but also the existence of guarantees regarding the preservation of the Serbian cultural and religious heritage." ".
The French president reiterated the commitment to the establishment of the Association of Serb-majority municipalities in Kosovo, which is also the most difficult part of the negotiations for the normalization of relations, as well as the commitment of France "to help the region avoid unilateral movements and rising tensions".
The West demands from Kosovo that issues such as the opening of the Ibri bridge be addressed within the dialogue in Brussels, drawing attention to the consequences of uncoordinated actions in bilateral relations.
Opposition parties in Kosovo accuse the government of seriously damaging relations with key Western allies. The chairman of the Democratic Party of Kosovo, Memli Krasniqi, said today that "good cooperation with international partners in terms of the development and Euro-Atlantic integration of Kosovo is very important".
He made these comments after meeting with Germany's envoy for the Western Balkans, Manuel Sarrazin, who holds closed-door meetings with Kosovo's political representatives.
The Government of Kosovo emphasizes that its actions in the north are in function of establishing legality and extending sovereignty, but denies that relations with allies have been damaged. /VOA
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