Kosovo’s Foreign Minister Donika Gervalla Schwarz considered Serbia’s move to withdraw from the letter of reservations on the deal on normalisation of relations with Kosovo as “partial.”

The European Union envoy on Kosovo- Serbia dialogue, Miroslav Lajcak, said on Friday that Serbia has withdrawn the letter it sent to the EU last year, in which it expressed reservations about the Ohrid Agreement on the path to normalising relations with Kosovo.

“The letter has been withdrawn. There are statements here and there that are not helpful, but the agreement itself remains valid in its entirety. Moreover, the agreement has become part of both Kosovo and Serbia’s EU accession process. So I would say it is doubly valid—between Serbia and Kosovo, and between Kosovo, the EU, and Serbia,” Lajcak emphasised.

In December 2023, former Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic sent a letter to the EU expressing Serbia’s concerns about the agreement reached in Brussels and the implementation annex achieved in Ohrid regarding the normalisation of relations.

But Prishtina authorities have immediately played down Lajcak’s statement about the withdrawal with Donika Gervalla Schwarz, Kosovo’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, considering Serbia’s move to be inadequate.

“Lajcak is speaking about a partial withdrawal of this letter of Brnabic who does not withdraw from non-recognition of Kosovo’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Gervalla said on Friday.

Lajcak added that he discussed the details of the upcoming meeting agenda and progress since the last talks with Kosovo’s chief negotiator, Besnik Bislimi.

“I will be hosting the next meeting of Chief Negotiators in Brussels in the coming days. We discussed the agenda in detail and the issues that need to be addressed. A key topic will be how to unblock the implementation of the agreement on the path to normalisation,” Lajcak added, without revealing the exact date of the meeting.

When asked about the Kosovo government’s initiative to open the Iber main bridge in Mitrovica, Lajcak reiterated the EU position that this should be done in coordination with international allies.

“The EU’s position is clear: the bridge should be opened, but this must be done in close cooperation with Kosovo’s international partners, and we discussed the details of this process,” he said.

Regarding reports of blockades at the Kosovo-Serbia border starting on Friday, in protest of the closure of parallel municipalities in northern Kosovo, Lajcak expressed hope that such actions would not take place.

“I saw the announcements, and I believe there will not be  blockades. I hope there won’t be any because this would negatively impact the freedom of movement,” he further added.

Recently, the US and the European Union have reiterated calls for Kosovo authorities to refrain from unilateral and uncoordinated actions, which the EU believes could escalate tensions in the Serb-majority north.

The Ohrid Agreement includes provisions for a level of self-management for the Serbian community in Kosovo and mutual recognition of state symbols. It also calls for both Prishtina and Belgrade to implement all previous agreements reached during the dialogue.

06 September 2024 – 15:48