Pristina opens up on Albania’s Serb association plan

After remaining tight-lipped, the European Commission and the Kosovo government have started to open up about the draft for the Association of Serb Municipalities in Kosovo, presented by Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama last week with a meeting set to take place between Rama and Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti on Wednesday.

Last Thursday, Rama announced he had forwarded a draft for the association to French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and the EU and US.

The association was agreed during an EU-backed dialogue in 2013 before being ruled unconstitutional by Kosovo’s highest court in 2015. Since then, it has remained a sticking point in all negotiations with Serbia, with the US and EU insisting on it. Meanwhile, Kosovo maintains that Serbia has also not stuck to various provisions and is happy to create an association, but it must be in line with the Constitution.

When asked to comment on the draft on Thursday, French and German diplomacy in Tirana said “no comment”, while the European Commission took their time to reply.

Answering on Friday evening, Commission spokesperson Peter Stano said: “Any constructive contribution to the EU-facilitated Dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, under which the Association/Community of Serbian Majority Municipalities is being discussed, is welcome.”

He added that the discussion on and drafting of a statute can only occur in the framework of EU-facilitated dialogue and was scheduled for 5-6 June.

“The meeting could not take place because of the escalation on the ground,” and added the EU is ready to host the drafting session and is in touch with both parties.

Meanwhile, the press office of Albin Kurti finally broke its silence on the document, stating the situation “is a matter of the functionality of the state of Kosovo.”

It added that the previous draft presented amid EU dialogue was unsuitable as it was presented by the Management Team, “ led by the deputy of Vucic aiming for a Republika Srpska in Kosovo…the danger is Serbia. Those who are free in their attitudes and without any burden understand this. We expect support from official Albania. We have many mediators.”

Macedonian Deputy Prime Minister Artan Grubi told Euronews Albania that he had seen the draft statute and fully supported it.

“I have read it and communicated with the Albanian authorities, and I have full support for Prime Minister Rama’s initiative, as a good initiative to continue towards solving the problem in the North, but also ultimately between Kosovo and Serbia with mutual recognition,” he said.

According to diplomatic sources who spoke with journalist Ilva Tare, the draft presented by Rama is similar to the Sami Parliament of Norway, a representative body for people of Sami heritage in Norway. It acts as an institution of cultural autonomy for the Sami people, with representatives elected every four years by direct vote from seven constituencies.

The comparison was confirmed by Petrit Selimi, former foreign minister of Kosovo, and analyst Agon Maliqi.

Rama said the document has been long prepared, and he was waiting for the right time to present it. Drafted by US and European experts, he said the time has come when both Kosovo and Serbia cannot even agree on who will write the text, let alone what it will contain.

He added that the document may not be perfect, but it aligns with the country’s constitution.

“The situation is becoming alarming, and I cannot remain a spectator watching Kosovo shrink and shrink in the eyes of those who created the state of Kosovo,” Rama said. He also commented on the demands from the international community and fears over the north falling into the hands of foreigners.

Meanwhile, with no date for the next EU meeting, Rama and Kurti are set to meet on Wednesday this week in Gjakova- the first public meeting since Rama presented the draft to the international community.

There have been recent calls from the region for the US to lead the ongoing dialogue due to “structural” and “political” issues with the EU and slow progress. One of these calls came from former foreign minister Meliza Haradinaj who in an interview, stated, “I do not see the point of Kosovo participating in EU-led dialogue anymore, so this could be achieved by US mediation as the US recognises both Kosovo and Serbia as states and it is impartial.”

Haradinaj went as far as to suggest that Kosovo should have a strategic review of its participation in the EU dialogue and how the EU treats Kosovo compared to Serbia. “Kosovo should not be held hostage because of EU structural and political issues to achieve lasting peace and mutual recognition,” she said.

(Alice Taylor | Exit.al)