Arne Sannes Bjørnstad, the Norwegian Ambassador to Belgrade, said that calling Presevo and Bujanovac “the eastern Kosovo” was the same as calling Kosovo Serbia, adding such statements were not helpful, TV N1 reported.
He commented on the Kosovo PM Ramush Haradinaj’s remark about the two southern regions in Serbia with predominantly ethnic Albanian population describing them as a part of Kosovo.
In an interview to Belgrade-based Blic daily, the Ambassador said that “those who speak about Kosovo as an integral part of Serbia should not be surprised when the others call parts of Serbia the eastern Kosovo.”
Both Bujanovac and Presevo have been mentioned as parts of Serbia proper that could be exchanged for the northern chunk of Kosovo mostly populated by the Serbs. The idea of the territory swap does not have much advocates in the international community, with the US being strongly against.
Bjørnstad also talked about the safety in Kosovo, saying he visited it several times, driving in a car with Belgrade license plates and had no problem. He said that “incidents happen everywhere, but those who haven’t been in Kosovo tend to exaggerate” the lack of safety.
He further spoke about legally binding agreement between Belgrade and Pristina saying it has to be more than a gentlemen’s agreement, it has to be a document that guarantees rights and obligations of the both Kosovo and Serbia.
He also commented on Pristina’s resistance to implement the Agreement on Association/Community of Serb-Majority Municipalities, saying that in accordance with the Kosovo Constitutional Court, this agreement gives specific rights to ZSO more that Constitutional Court allows. However, in this case governments of Serbia and Kosovo entered this agreement, and it has to be certainly implemented.
The Ambassador said the arrest of Marko Djuric and the entire incident is regrettable, as it can cause additional time delays. Fragile and limited trust necessary to progress is also damaged, however, he also said this incident was a wake up call. Mutual respect and dignity are important.
Commenting on a statement of Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic that “western states helped the arrest,” the Ambassador referred to the statement of Serbian Army Chief of Staff, General Ljubisa Dikovic who said KFOR is an important element for security and stability in Kosovo, and that Serbian Army gives particular importance to the cooperation with international forces under NATO command in Kosovo.
The Ambassador also said, putting aside that some EU countries could react negatively, when President Vucic called Putin following Djuric’s arrest, it was good that Vucic called the Russian President. It was a tense situation, and it was important to ensure the situation does not get worse.
President Vucic is very rational, and having in mind active and public diplomacy Russia displays in relation to Kosovo, I highly appreciate the importance of coordinated reaction with Russia, at the highest level. Lack of such coordination could create even more dangerous situation, Ambassador said.
He also touched upon possibility that Kosovo gets a seat in the UN, saying it is hardly to predict. It is expected it would be a result of normalization of relations between Serbia and Kosovo, and it is certainly one of the main Kosovo’s goals. Preventing Kosovo to get a seat in the UN after Serbia and Kosovo reach an agreement on normalization would be very detrimental for both sides, regardless who is to blame.
He also commented on Oliver Ivanovic’s murder investigation, saying that the investigation of his murder is a complex due to many reasons, and one of them is a special situation in the north of Kosovo, Blic daily reported.
