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Borrell: The EU is ready for punitive measures against the parties if the situation in the north of Kosovo does not escalate

2023-06-26 22:01:05, Kosova & Bota CNA

Borrell: The EU is ready for punitive measures against the parties if the

The head of the European Union's foreign policy, Josep Borrell, said on Monday that the bloc's member countries have expressed their readiness to take measures against Kosovo and Serbia if there is no progress in expanding the situation in the north of Kosovo. Mr. Borrell said the bloc welcomed the release of three members of the Kosovo police who were being held in Serbia since June 14.

He made these comments after the meeting of the foreign ministers of the member countries where he informed them about the situation in the north of Kosovo and last week's talks with the leaders of both countries in which there was no progress, except for the assertion that the parties have agreed for the need to hold new elections in the northern municipalities of Kosovo.

"We agree that elections should be held. We cannot have mayors in offices protected by NATO forces forever, being elected by 2 or 3 percent of the voters. This is not a sustainable solution. So if it is not sustainable, it must be replaced by other solutions and the next solution can only come from new elections. And that's what both sides have to do. Elections with the participation of Serbs, otherwise it will be the same situation as today", said Mr. Borrell.

Tensions between Kosovo and Serbia rose late last month when authorities began implementing the results of the April 23 election, boycotted by Serbian political parties. In the northern municipalities, groups of Serbian citizens continue to oppose the placement of Albanian mayors in the municipal offices. NATO increased the presence of troops in Kosovo after the violence that permeated the protests in the north in which 30 KFOR peacekeepers were injured.

Last week, Mr. Borrell met separately in Brussels with the prime minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, and the Serbian president, Aleksandar Vu?i?, to whom he presented the expectations of the European Union for the escalation of the situation.

Kosovo demands the suspension of police operations in the municipal buildings in the north and that the four mayors temporarily perform their duties outside the municipal offices. From Serbia, meanwhile, to ensure that the protesters leave the municipal buildings simultaneously with the departure of the Kosovo police.

Neither side gave signs of a willingness to release pe, and Mr Borrell warned of new measures if the sides did not ease tensions.

The measures will be political and financial, said Mr. Borrell, underlining that "everything must be proportional and reversible".

The EU has already implemented measures by the government of Kosovo due to the refusal of the leaders to remove the special police units from the municipal buildings in the north and for the Albanian mayors to work from alternative offices.

The President of the European Council, Charles Michel, said on Monday after a meeting with Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama that an urgent extension to the north of Kosovo is necessary, because it is in the interest of the entire Western Balkans.

"Dialogue with EU support and implementation of the agreement must continue quickly. I expect the European Council to send a clear message this week," he wrote on his Twitter account.

Since the beginning of the crisis, American and European diplomats have sought to reduce tensions amid concerns about renewed conflicts in the region./ VOA