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As a result of the meeting of five international representatives that took place in Kosovo and Serbia on October 21 and the exchanges they had with the parties, the European Union said that it has presented a "modern European" proposal for the Association of Serb-majority municipalities in Kosovo. The European bloc said it expects the parties to take quick action to normalize relations.
These statements were made by the EU spokesperson, Peter Stano, who confirmed that the bloc has invited the Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, and the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, to Brussels on Thursday, October 26, when the summit will be held EU.
"The discussions of the [EU's] special envoy for the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, Miroslav Lajcak, during the weekend in Belgrade and Pristina were focused on the implementation of the Ohrid Annex. There is no intention of replacing him. Various proposals and ideas were discussed, some in writing, and these discussions will continue. This also includes a modern European proposal for the statute of the Association of municipalities with a Serbian majority", said Stano.
He added that "quick steps are expected from the parties to prove that they are committed to continuing the normalization process, fulfilling their respective obligations from the Agreement on the path to the normalization of relations as well as all agreements from the past, without delays and prerequisites".
"The leaders of Kosovo and Serbia have been invited to participate in the dialogue support meeting on the sidelines of the European Council meeting later this week ," said Stano.
Even earlier, the EU has said that it has presented Kosovo and Serbia with several European models for the Association statute.
For the implementation of the Agreement for the Association of municipalities with a Serbian majority in Kosovo, there are currently four draft statutes and draft visions: the draft statute of the Management Team, the draft vision of Kurt, the draft statute of Rama, and the draft statute for the Association drawn up by the German organization Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES).
Lajcak stayed in Kosovo and Serbia on October 21, together with four other diplomats: the American envoy for the Western Balkans, Gabriel Escobar, and high-ranking officials from France, Emanuel Bonne, Germany, Jens Plotner, and Italy, Alessandro Cattaneo, came to Pristina with a plan.
After the meeting in Pristina, Lajçak said that the diplomats presented a plan for which they discussed with Kurt. Kurti's office confirmed that the diplomats' plan "for moving forward" was discussed, but no details were given.
The international community is calling on Kosovo and Serbia to return to the dialogue that is mediated by the EU, after the increase in tensions between the two states.
Tensions have been rising since May in the northern municipalities of Kosovo, as local Serbs oppose the new Albanian mayors who emerged from the April elections, which were boycotted by the Serbs.
On September 24, tensions escalated after the Kosovo Police was attacked by an armed group of Serbs, killing policeman Afrim Bunjaku. Three Serbian attackers were also killed during the clashes.
Kosovo has blamed Serbia for the attack, but Belgrade has denied involvement in it.
The EU and the United States have called on the parties to implement the Agreement towards normalization reached earlier in the year.
This agreement, of 11 articles, provides, among other things, a level of self-management for the Serbian community in Kosovo and mutual recognition of state symbols, while asking Pristina and Belgrade to also implement all previous dialogue agreements .
Kosovo has so far refused to establish the Association of municipalities with a Serbian majority, expressing the fear that it could affect the functionality of the state. Serbia, meanwhile, insists on its establishment./REL
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