Kosovo Foreign Minister Donika Gërvalla said on Friday that the draft statute for the Association proposed by Western diplomats is not good but does not offer any kind of autonomy for northern Kosovo. A month ago, American and European envoys handed over to Kosovo and Serbia a document for the implementation of the agreement, part of which was, as officials in Brussels said, "a contemporary European proposal for the statute of the Association of Serb-majority municipalities", which is also the most difficult point in the Kosovo-Serbia negotiation process.
Minister Gërvalla said that the draft statute for the Association respects many of the concerns expressed by Kosovo in the past.
"I assure you that there is no attempt, no effort, no will, no desire of this government and in general of the institutions, neither of the president, nor of the prime minister, nor of other institutions, to accept drafts that are detrimental to the Republic of Kosovo. We have gained the trust of the citizens with great promises and we will not violate those promises in any aspect," said Minister Gërvalla.
Western diplomacy has made efforts to accelerate the implementation of the agreement to normalize relations, demanding that Pristina establish the Association of Serb-majority Municipalities and that Belgrade de facto recognize Kosovo.
Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti reiterated today his position that in the meeting with European leaders he was ready to sign agreements with Serbia and, according to him, that day was an extraordinary opportunity to, as he said, seal the normalization of relations.
"On October 26, by refusing to sign, it (Serbia) has proven that it does not have an Association for Serbs at all, but rather an Association against Kosovo," he said.
But Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić said earlier this week that the Association of Serb-majority Municipalities will not be formed as long as Albin Kurti is in power. He accused authorities in Kosovo of constantly looking for excuses not to form the Association, VOA reports.
The establishment of the Association is an obligation included in the Brussels-Ohrid agreement reached earlier this year and which aimed to reduce tensions between the parties, which have since worsened, reaching a high point in late September after an attack on the Kosovo police by a group of armed Serbs, in which a police officer was killed.
The attack was followed by increased Western efforts to urge the parties to accelerate the normalization of relations, amid concerns about the possibility of renewed conflicts in the region.
Belgian Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib, during a visit to Pristina today, called on Kosovo and Serbia to find solutions for the normalization of relations through dialogue.
"The answer we are looking for is de-escalation and a commitment to the normalization process. This is the only way to find a long-term peace and one that will give both sides a future of integration into the European Union," said Minister Lahbib.
