Osmani demands the acceleration of Kosovo's path to the EU

2023-09-20 07:35:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Osmani demands the acceleration of Kosovo's path to the EU

Illustrative photo

The President of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani, has asked the European Union to speed up the process to make Kosovo a candidate country for membership in this bloc.

She is said to have made these statements at a traditional lunch organized by the EU's chief diplomat, Josep Borell, in New York, where the United Nations General Assembly is being held.

The Serbian President, Aleksandar Vucic, said after the meeting that Serbia is open to "constructive cooperation in the region aimed at fulfilling our strategic objective - EU membership".

The countries of the Western Balkans have been promised a European perspective since 2003, at a summit in Thessaloniki. Since then, only Croatia, among the countries of the region, has joined the EU, in 2013.

Montenegro and Serbia started negotiations for membership years ago, while Albania and North Macedonia also started in July 2022.

Bosnia-Herzegovina received the status of a candidate country in December of last year, while Kosovo only has a Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA) with the EU.

Kosovo applied for membership in this block in December last year.

"Measures against Kosovo do not contribute to the advancement of dialogue"

Among other things, Osmani has assessed that the measures taken by the EU towards Kosovo do not contribute to the advancement of the dialogue and affect the interests and well-being of the citizens of Kosovo.

The EU has imposed punitive measures against Kosovo, after the escalation of tensions in the north of the country in May.

There, local Serbian residents have opposed the entry of new Albanian mayors into municipal buildings, and the situation has, on occasion, escalated into violence.

Osmani has assessed that Kosovo is a constructive party in the dialogue with Serbia - mediated by the EU - and is committed to peace and stability.

"The EU should reward the states that are coordinated with the EU and at the same time have undertaken reforms, especially in the rule of law, economy and European standards", she said, among other things.

The last round of the high-level dialogue in Brussels was held on September 14.

The meeting ended without any result.

The Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, said after the meeting that the EU mediator in this process, Miroslav Lajçak, is positioned against Kosovo.

According to him, during the meeting it was observed that there was coordination between the president of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, and Lajcak for, as he said, the creation of an "alternative scenario, where half of the agreement is implemented".

The EU, on the other hand, has considered these statements as baseless. Kosovo and Serbia are part of the dialogue mediated by the EU, for the normalization of relations, since 2011.

The parties have signed many agreements, but not all of them have been implemented./ Rel