In an interview to RTK, German Ambassador Angelika Viets said that the debate over the ratification of border demarcation agreement with Montenegro has been overly polarized. “The border demarcation agreement, reached after three years of work, has been reviewed several times. Among others, this was also done by a group of international experts commissioned by then president Jahjaga which also included a renowned German expert, Dr. Wilmes. Another review was more recently carried out by a commission set up by the government which involved the EU Special Representative for Kosovo and the US Ambassador. A clear conclusion of all the reviews was that agreement on border delineation, already ratified by Montenegro, was accurate. Furthermore, the border agreement is an international agreement that strengthens the status of Kosovo and its sovereignty”, Viets said. She said she would like to see the agreement ratified by the Assembly of Kosovo as soon as possible as being the main obstacle to visa liberalisation.

With regards to the transformation of the Kosovo Security Force (KSF) into a Kosovo army, the German ambassador said that although this would be a sovereign decision of Kosovo, “any change would have to be done in line with the Constitution of the Republic of Kosovo and through a transparent political process which would include all parties”.  She further said that decision makers would also have to take into consideration NATO’s statement that it would review its level of commitment in Kosovo if KSF’s mandate is changed through a draft law sponsored recently by President Hashim Thaci.