Kosovo must work to slow expansion – EURACTIV.com

EU Ambassador Miroslav Lajak and his US counterpart Gabriel Escobar in Belgrade on Tuesday evening said Kosovo must act to de-escalate the situation in northern Kosovo.

On Tuesday evening, Lajčak, Escobar and Vučić, as well as EU delegation head Emanuel Giofre and US ambassador Christopher Hill, met at Villa Mir in Belgrade. Lajčak and Escobar arrived in Belgrade from Pristina, where they discussed the situation in northern Kosovo with Kosovar Prime Minister Albin Kurdi.

Lajčak expressed concern about the situation in northern Kosovo and outlined three demands he and Escobar made in Pristina.

The EU and the US have three demands: de-escalation, new elections and a return to negotiations.

For his part, Escobar said Kurdi has two days to respond to EU and US demands. Both Kurdi and President Vjosa Osmani have spoken in favor of holding new elections until the rule of law is restored and Serb protests in the region end.

Kosovo Serbs say they will only participate in elections if special police units are withdrawn from northern Kosovo and a union of Serbian communities is formed. However, Kosovo has so far resisted the formation of such an association. Because it is unconstitutional and would favor a situation similar to that in the separatist Republika Srpska in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Vučić wrote on Instagram: “I said it’s time for Pristina to finally fulfill its obligations, first of all creating the Association of Serbian Municipalities according to the Brussels Agreement.”

In that declaration, Vučić stressed that Serbia has been a constructive, stable and reliable partner in all processes leading to the preservation of stability in the region.