Kurti: I am committed to the immediate implementation of the Agreement towards normalization

2023-05-27 17:50:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Kurti: I am committed to the immediate implementation of the Agreement towards

The Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, said that he is committed to work with the United Kingdom and the allies of the QUINT countries to work on the immediate implementation of the Agreement towards the normalization of relations with Serbia.

Kurti had a telephone conversation with the envoy of the United Kingdom, Lord Stuart Peach, regarding the latest developments, a day after the increase in tensions in the north of Kosovo.

"I emphasized that our Government's sole purpose is to provide access to office for elected presidents and expressed my commitment to work with the United Kingdom and QUINT allies for the immediate implementation of the Framework Agreement," Kurti wrote on the account his on Twitter.

On May 26, groups of local Serbs clashed with the Kosovo Police, who assisted the new Albanian mayors of the Municipality of Zveçan, Leposaviq and Zubin Potok, to enter their offices to start work, after they had been sworn in the day before. .

Police used tear gas and stun grenades to disperse the protesters, who threw stones at law enforcement.

Several cars were burnt and at least five policemen were injured. After the tensions in the north, Serbia raised the combat readiness of its forces to the highest level.

The United States, the European Union and the QUINT countries strongly condemned the decisions of the Government of Kosovo, calling on it to escalate the situation. Kosovo has blamed Serbia and "illegal structures and criminal gangs" for the situation created in the north of Kosovo.

The US said that actions in the north will not only result in consequences for bilateral relations, but also undermine efforts to normalize relations between Kosovo and Serbia.

The dialogue for the normalization of relations is mediated by the European Union and supported by the United States.

In the framework of the dialogue, on February 27, the parties reached the Basic Agreement towards the normalization of relations, while in March they agreed on the Annex for the implementation of this agreement.

The agreement does not provide for mutual recognition, which Kosovo insists on, but requires Kosovo and Serbia to accept each other's documents and symbols, including: passports, diplomas and license plates.

The document of 11 articles also requires the parties to implement all the agreements reached so far in the dialogue for the normalization of relations, including the one for the formation of the Association of municipalities with a Serbian majority in Kosovo, which the Government in Prishtina has rejected it so far, on the grounds that it could jeopardize the functionality of the state./REL