UNMIK Media Observer, Afternoon Edition, February 28, 2023

Albanian Language Media:

Government press release on high-level meeting in Brussels (media)
Osmani: Brussels meeting was a positive moment, but Assembly has the last word (Klan)
Rama: No one should accuse Kurti of treason; he did the right thing! (Telegrafi)
“No autonomy” – Bislimi asked about Association at EP committee (Nacionale)
Gervalla: I see no reason why Spain should not recognise us (media)
Mandl meets Bislimi and Bajrami, “there remains a long path to go” (Lajmi)
Von Cramon: This plan will unblock EU membership perspective (media)

Serbian Language Media:

EU spokesperson: The aim of the dialogue is the normalization of relations, not mutual recognition (Beta, N1)
Vucic: We will continue talks, EU expects something by March 24 (N1)
Drecun: We know our red lines; important news from Brussels are different interpretations of what happened (RTS)
Petkovic: The CSM (ZSO) will not be a non-governmental organisation (RTS)
Starovic: Nothing has been signed, but also nothing has been rejected in Brussels (RTV, Tanjug)
Bogdanovic revealed to N1 what is written in the road map that was discussed in Brussels (N1)
Tadic: Importance of ZSO inflated in order to present defeat in Brussels as victory (Danas, BETA)
Serbian opposition politicians harshly criticise Vucic over developments in Brussels (media)
Vucic: Difficult, successful struggle in Brussels, I will respond to all lies (N1)

Opinion:

A promising day in Brussels, to be followed by non-euphoric days (Koha)
On the European proposal/agreement: What was (not) lost in translation (KoSSev)

International:

No Signatures for Big Deal in Brussels, yet (Prishtina Insight)
Euroactiv: Mixed reactions from Belgrade, Pristina following normalisation of relations meeting

Albanian Language Media

Government press release on high-level meeting in Brussels (media)

All media cover a press release issued by the Kosovo government about the high-level meeting in Brussels between Prime Minister Albin Kurti and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, mediated by EU High Representative Josep Borrell and EU Special Representative Miroslav Lajcak.

The press release notes that “Kurti expressed readiness to sign the Basic Agreement between Kosovo and Serbia, as proposed by the European Union and supported by Germany, France, Italy and the United States of America. But the Serbian side refused to sign.”

“At the trilateral meeting it was agreed that the text of the EU Proposal will remain unchanged, although Serbia has yet to express readiness to sign it. The parties will begin talks on the implementation plan. The plan should contain concrete details and be comprehensive, offer effectiveness in implementation and be sequenced in a balanced way.”

“The agreement reached last night is between parties that recognise each other as equal, and was reached on the basis of respecting the sovereign equality of states, respect for their independence, autonomy and territorial integrity. The agreement also ensures the mutual recognition of documents and state symbols between Kosovo and Serbia, the establishment of permanent missions, and guarantees that no party will represent or speak on behalf of the other in the international sphere. With this agreement, Serbia is also obliged not to obstruct or oppose the membership of the Republic of Kosovo in any international organisation”.

“The full text of the agreement was published in its entirety on the official webpage of the EU External Service. The next high-level political meeting is expected to be held in March”.

Osmani: The Brussels meeting was a positive moment, but the Assembly has the last word (Klan)

President Vjosa Osmani assessed that the February 27 meeting in Brussels, between the Prime Minister of Kosovo Albin Kurti and the President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic with the mediation of senior officials of the European Union (EU) and the support of the United States of America, marks a positive moment in the dialogue process for the normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia. This meeting contributes to peace and stability in the country and the region, it is said in the statement of the presidency.

The President of Kosovo assesses that if the agreement is implemented in a resourceful manner, it would define important principles for relations between the parties, establishing them as equal, with mutual respect and in accordance with the basic principles of the United Nations Charter, including the principle of respecting territorial integrity.

According to the president, some difficult proposals have been accepted, related to the self-management of the Serb minority in Kosovo and the regulation of the legal status of the Serbian Orthodox Church.

"The text of the agreement does not fully clarify the implications of these and some other issues, which must necessarily be clarified before the Implementation Plan is finalized," the statement says.

Osmani emphasizes that any result of the dialogue must preserve the territorial integrity, sovereignty and internal functionality of Kosovo.

However, it should always be underlined that "the dialogue process must end with mutual recognition, so the European Plan can help achieve this goal".

Osmani considers that the final word about this agreement should be given by the Assembly of Kosovo, since the constitutional categories provided for in Article 18 of the Constitution of Kosovo are affected.

Rama: No one should accuse Kurti of treason; he did the right thing! (Telegrafi)

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama commented on yesterday’s meeting between Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti and Serbian President Edi Rama in Brussels, saying that peace and cooperation are key to the future.

“I welcome the consent of both parties for the Agreement on the path to normalisation of relations between Kosovo and Serbia. This is an important historical moment for peace in the region and I strongly encourage all parties involved to work on a speedy implementation. For peace and cooperation, Albania is and will always remain a believer and a model. We fully support every effort to overcome the past,” Rama wrote on Twitter.

Rama also said he hopes that no one accuses Kurti “of treason and forgetting, and everyone should understand that the current Prime Minister of Kosovo has done the right thing, by making the first and very important step toward emerging from the trap of the past. May the next steps follow without wasting time!”

“No autonomy” – Bislimi asked about Association at EP committee (Nacionale)

Kosovo’s Deputy Prime Minister Besnik Bislimi was asked at the European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs (EFAT) today about the Association of Serb-majority municipalities. He said that the Brussels agreement calls for a mechanism that functions as a non-governmental organisation, and not as autonomy for the Serbs.

“Previous agreements reached in Brussels and the Ahtisaari plan do not make any calls for autonomy. The agreements call for a mechanism that will coordinate the Serb-majority municipalities in the form of an Association. A non-governmental organisation and not territorial autonomy for any part, be it the municipalities in the north or the south. Around 60 percent of minorities live in municipalities in the south of Kosovo. The other part lives in the four municipalities in the north,” he said.

Bislimi reiterated the government’s position for the dissolution of parallel structures in the north.

Bislimi also said that “if Serbia says that it will not block Kosovo’s path in the international sphere, why should the non-recognising countries do this. We count and we need the support of EU parliamentarians,” he added.

Gervalla: I see no reason why Spain should not recognise us (media)

Most news websites cover an interview that Kosovo’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Donika Gervalla, gave to El Periodico, highlighting her remarks that “Kosovo is not an Albanian state, but a multicultural state”.

Gervalla talked about Kosovo’s eventual recognition by Spain, the dialogue with Serbia and the position of Serbs in Kosovo. She said she sees no reason why Spain should not recognise Kosovo and denied similarities between Kosovo and the autonomous regions in Spain, like Catalonia.

“I hope that the five EU member states that have not recognised Kosovo, will change their position. When this will happen depends on efforts from both sides. But I don’t see why it should not happen,” Gervalla said.

Serbian Language Media

EU spokesperson: The aim of the dialogue is the normalization of relations, not mutual recognition (Beta, N1)

The goal of the accepted European proposal and dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina is not "mutual recognition", but to reach a comprehensive agreement on the regulation of relations between Kosovo and Serbia, European Union spokesperson Peter Stano said in Brussels.

Stano thus answered the journalist's question whether the European proposal accepted by Belgrade and Pristina leads to mutual recognition of the two sides and emphasized that success will be the signing of the final agreement on the comprehensive arrangement of relations between Kosovo and Serbia.

The spokesperson of the EU High Representative, Josep Borrell, pointed out that the agreement of Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, and Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti, that the implementation of the European proposal should be started, is clear progress.

"Now comes the essential, important part, which is to implement the content of the European proposal through negotiations," Stano said, answering journalists at the conference.

Vucic: We will continue talks, EU expects something by March 24 (N1)

Following talks in Brussels with European Union (EU) High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell, EU Special Envoy for the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue Miroslav Lajcak and Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said that the discussion on Monday was not about the European proposal for resolving the Kosovo issue but about the implementation of the previously reached agreements, primarily the establishment of the Community of Serb Municipalities (CSM) in Kosovo, N1 reports.

“We had a difficult meeting as usual, I believe there will be many more meetings in the coming period because, if I understood well, we are to meet in the territory of North Macedonia on the 18th (of March), that is when Borrell will be visiting the region, before that we should discuss with Mr. Lajcak issues regarding the implementation”, Vucic said.

Vucic added formation of the CSM is a priority in the implementation of all previously reached agreements, adding that this will be emphasised in the European Union statement.

“I insisted on the CSM, as did the European representatives. I think Mr. Kurti was not prepared to accept this now, as for whether he will be in future, we will see”, Vucic said, voicing his fear that the two sides could remain “stuck in something that was signed a long time ago”.

He said that of all the big public talk in Belgrade and Pristina, nothing special came to pass on Monday.

“Mr. Kurti came for the signing of something, that something was not discussed. I am waiting to see the implementation plan that primarily concerns all the previously signed agreements. What has to be at the beginning of that roadmap is something that someone does not want to fulfil, that is the essence, that is the Community of Serb Municipalities”, Vucic said.

The Serbian President also said that the European mediators want to have a report on whether Belgrade and Pristina have achieved anything by March 23 and 24, when a European Council meeting is due, and that the European integration progress of both will depend on this.

“I will cancel some of my trips and foreign policy meetings so I could speak with Lajcak, to prepare for the 18th (of March), so Serbia isn’t denounced on the 23rd and 24th (of March)”, he added.

Asked by N1 about the powers of the CSM, Vucic said he would supply N1 on Tuesday with all four documents on the CSM that have been signed and accepted.

Drecun: We know our red lines; important news from Brussels are different interpretations of what happened (RTS)

The President of the Committee of the Serbian Parliament for Kosovo and Metohija, Milovan Drecun, told RTS this morning that to him the news from Brussels was important that there were different interpretations of what happened. According to Drecun, red lines are known.

In Drecun's opinion the main news from Brussels was that the discussions on the EU proposal would continue and intensify in the coming period, that Lajcak would try to clarify some provisions acceptable to both sides and then another meeting with Borrell will be held.

"For me, the important news is that we have different interpretations of what happened. President Vucic will announce the details tonight and it is very important that we listen in order to have a complete picture of what happened and in which direction the protection of our vital state and national interests will go," Drecun said.

Gabriel Escobar announced that he will come out with the details in a few days, said Drecun.

"And the EU published what we were more or less aware of, that is the proposal that was leaked to the public," said Drecun.

Nothing surprised Drecun, except "the 11th point that talks about the road map that should agree on a way to implement the eventually reached agreement".

"It's no surprise. Albin Kurti said that he was ready to sign something. President Vucic said that he brought something that he wanted to sign, then Borrell talked about the fact that the interlocutors agreed not to discuss the provisions of the agreement, but to start with the implementation. President Vucic clearly said: yes, to implement, but what. We are asking for a CSM (ZSO), but Kurti refuses it, he spends most of the time at the meeting explaining why he cannot accept a CSM (ZSO)," said Drecun.

Drecun noted that ''we know what our red lines are and that ''the EU mediators are in a hurry to achieve something'' before the end of the month so that they can boast of progress, reported RTS.

"In his statement, Borrell focused attention on human rights and freedoms, talking about the fact that life will be safer for the Serbian people in Kosovo and Metohija, that life will be easier for both Serbs and Albanians, movement, use of diplomas and everything else, but he avoided key questions. He did not mention the CSM (ZSO), he did not talk about the so-called mutual recognition, which is absolutely unacceptable for us, he did not talk about the eventual membership of the so-called Kosovo in all international organisations. The most important question is how people will live, but these are also questions of status importance and they are also very important," emphasised Drecun.

Drecun believed that we are at the beginning of harmonising those provisions of the proposal that would be acceptable to both sides.

"Those provisions that would eventually be agreed upon can be implemented. If you paid attention, President Vucic said that it will be agreed upon what to implement. First, what was agreed upon a decade ago must be implemented," Drecun said.

The fact, he said, that President Vucic agreed to go to the talks did not mean that he gave up on our key demand, that is, the CSM to be formed first.

"I think that the European mediators made a wrong step in their haste to achieve some progress. First, the precise deadlines for the CSM should have been agreed upon, then the draft statute designed by the management team should have been presented at the summit meeting, it should have been accepted and the CSM implemented. And only then call a meeting to discuss the proposal. Then we would avoid different interpretations," noted Drecun.

He believed that European mediators wanted to impose the CSM and the Franco-German plan to run parallel.

"You can talk in parallel like that, no progress will be achieved. We are almost back to the beginning even after yesterday's meeting. Although Borrell is optimistic, this is such a complex problem that we do not need false optimism. You cannot build a solution based on someone's wish to do bureaucratic work, then on building the solution on realistic assumptions, where there are guarantees for the Serbian people. The CSM must be formed, and only then to talk about whether it is possible to reach an agreement. It is possible that there has been an approximation of positions on some issues from this proposal, but the key issues, we have to see what happens," Drecun pointed out, reported RTS.

Petkovic: The CSM (ZSO) will not be a non-governmental organisation (RTS)

Director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija, Petar Petkovic, responding to statements from Pristina, said that the Community of Serbian Municipalities was not and would not be a non-governmental organisation. He added that if that was the case Pristina would not have been exerting all its powers for years to dodge its obligations arising from the First Brussels Agreement, reported RTS.

Petar Petkovic stated in a press release that the representatives in Pristina have stepped up their propaganda campaign aimed at making the concept of the CSM (ZSO) senseless.

He said that the Community of Serbian municipalities would not be what Besnik Bislimi or Albin Kurti would like it to be, but that it would be formed according to what was signed in Brussels.

"The goal of the Community of Serbian Municipalities is to protect the survival and enable the prosperity of the Serbian people in Kosovo and Metohija, and it's understood that it can only be established in the manner defined in the Brussels dialogue, that is, with essential powers, because neither Belgrade nor the Serbs in the province would not agree to anything less than that," says the director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija.

Petkovic concluded that ''the more Pristina resists the creation of the conditions for the formation of the Community of Serbian Municipalities with all the associated responsibilities, the stronger Belgrade's determination will be to finally resolve this important issue'', reported RTS.

Starovic: Nothing has been signed, but also nothing has been rejected in Brussels (RTV, Tanjug)

State Secretary in the Ministry of Defence, Nemanja Starovic said today meetings in Brussels were difficult and demanding, adding that if one would draw a line, there it would be clear that nothing has been signed, but also nothing has been rejected, Radio Television of Vojvodina (RTV) reports.

According to him, the Serbian delegation managed to make final implementation of the Brussels agreement from 2013, and its part relating to ZSO, as the first and the most important topic, adding that Prime Minister Albin Kurti was not ready to consider this topic in a serious manner. “The only thing essentially agreed is that continuation of talks in the upcoming weeks in the format of shuttle diplomacy shall continue, and that the next meeting is planned for March 18”, he said.

Bogdanovic revealed to N1 what is written in the road map that was discussed in Brussels (N1)

Goran Bogdanovic, the former minister for Kosovo and Metohija, told N1 that he had an insight into the road map for the implementation of the agreement on Kosovo, which was discussed yesterday in Brussels.

"Last night I received the road map or rather the annexes of the agreement on the road to normalisation between Kosovo and Serbia - it contains eight articles that clearly and decisively talk about the deadlines for fulfilling certain obligations accepted by the agreement," Bogdanovic told N1.

It follows from the document that we have a deadline of 150 days to implement what was agreed upon, once the agreement is signed, he explained.

Bogdanovic read the articles of the annex in the abbreviated version that he translated from English:

Article 1 states that the annex is an integral part of this contract.

Article 2 describes the sequence of events for the implementation of the agreement. These events arise from the obligations of the parties listed in articles 1, 4, 7, 8, 9 and 10 of the basic agreement. All other agreements enter into force with the signing of the basic agreement - that means 2, 3, 5 and 11 come into force immediately after the signing of the basic agreement.

The 3rd article says - no later than 15 days after the signing of the agreement, the management team will present the first draft of the statute in order to provide an appropriate level of self-governance for the Serbian community in Kosovo, for negotiations on the statute with the mediation of the EU.

Article 4, which says that after the presentation of the draft statute and the start of negotiations on it, the parties will allow it to come into force immediately and it means under A - diplomas recognition, vehicle plates, passports, customs stamps and under B the exchange of permanent missions.

Article 5, where it is said that the parties undertake to complete the negotiations on the agreed statute, no later than the deadline agreed in Article 8 (of 150 days) and that the Government of Kosovo will confirm and pass a decree and ensure the legal viability of the statute.

Article 6 - no later than 30 days after signing the agreement, the parties will form a joint commission that should supervise the implementation of the agreement under the supervision of the EU.

Article 7 - within 30 days from the formation of the commission, Kosovo will make official the status of the Serbian Orthodox Church and will start the internal procedure for the protection of cultural heritage.

"I am very worried about the member of this annex," said Bogdanovic and added that he saw that none of the representatives of the Serbian Orthodox Church were announcing the agreement.

Article 8 - within 150 days after the signing of the agreement, the EU will organise a high-level conference with other donors to adopt a special package for financial support and investments. The conference will not take place until the EU assesses that all provisions of the agreement have not been fulfilled.

Bogdanovic pointed out that there are now discussions about the very provisions he presented and that the main spears are breaking precisely on it, since Kurti and Vucic have already stated that they accept the European proposal, and High Representative Borrell himself said that the agreement will not be discussed because both sides have agreed.

He stated that this annex, that is, the road map, was not adopted and that it was discussed in Brussels, and that it was not accepted by either side.

It is not known, adds Bogdanovic, who did not want to reach the acceptance of the annex, but it is certain that we have a deadline of 150 days for the implementation of what was agreed upon, when the agreement is signed.

"According to this paper that I came across, the deadline for the implementation of the agreement is 150 days from the signing of the agreement," he pointed out and added that the deadlines have not yet passed, and the agreement is still waiting to be signed.

In the meantime, as he said, shuttle diplomacy will be conducted to achieve this.

Bogdanovic also added that "such an agreement cannot contribute anything good to Serbian community or the CSM (ZSO), which in recent months has often appeared in the media, where various paid analysts and TVs with national frequencies are promoting propaganda that it is a lifesaver for the Serbian community in Kosovo''.

"On the contrary - the ZSO serves to cover up all the lies and deceptions related to the agreement," concluded Bogdanovic.

Tadic: Importance of ZSO inflated in order to present defeat in Brussels as victory (Danas, BETA)

Former Serbian President Boris Tadic said last night the importance of the Community of Serb-majority Municipalities (ZSO) has been “artificially inflated” in order to falsely present defeats in Belgrade-Pristina negotiations in Brussels “as a victory”, Danas daily reports.

“Regime affiliated media as per orders artificially inflate significance of establishing the ZSO in order to falsely present defeats in negotiations in Brussels as victory”, Tadic said in a post on Twitter.

According to him, citizens must be aware that ZSO is no victory at all, nor an institution that would ensure long-term survival of Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija.

Serbian opposition politicians harshly criticise Vucic over developments in Brussels (media)

Serbian opposition political parties in their reactions to the latest events in Brussels talks harshly criticised President Aleksandar Vucic accusing him of de facto recognizing Kosovo as a state, media report.

Leader of Oath Takers (Zavetnici) Milica Djurdjevic Stamenovski said “pro-regime megaphones were saying that the main battle taking place in Brussels was related to the Community of Serbian Municipalities. As everything else fitted them. It is not disputable to recognize a state to (Albin) Kurti, it only takes to convince him that Serbs can be a national minority in that state. And the deal is done”, she said in a written statement.

According to her “Community of Serb-majority Municipalities should serve as a score to deceit the citizens. It would be like some folklore association, but in the Republic of Kosovo. From autonomy for Albanians in Serbia “by wise” politics we reached the point of presenting self-governance of Serbs in “independent Kosovo” as a success”, she added.

Leader of Democratic Party (DS) Zoran Lutovac said the EU proposal on normalisation of relations between Kosovo and Serbia was a consequence of negotiation skills of President Aleksandar Vucic, and the moment has come that he now formally recognizes what he has factually done already.

“He did almost everything he was asked to do but had not done it formally. There are no institutions of Serbia in the north of Kosovo, there is no police either, no judiciary, no health, no education, economy, anything that existed there prior to SNS (Serbian Progressive Party) taking the power. Vucic through the Serbian List joined the parliament and Kosovo government, it was a factual recognition. He only does not wish to admit that he has already recognized them”, Lutovac said.

He said DS finds unacceptable the manner how this plan came forward, its content and also who needs to implement it.

DS MP Tanja Manojlovic told Radio KIM that “the agreement beyond any doubt was extremely unfavourable for Serbia, it goes very much in favour of Pristina, in the text of the proposal one cannot see that a single right and legitimate interest of Serbia in Kosovo has been recognized, confirmed or protected. On the other side a possibility of joining all international organisations, including the UN, was opened to Kosovo Albanians. The agreement by which one side gains it all, and the other one gets nothing cannot be called a victory”, she said. She added Vucic and his government are not able to preserve the interests of Serbia and Serbs in Kosovo. According to her, the crucial issue is what Serbs living in Kosovo and Metohija think of all of this and that no one asked them anything.

Leader of Serbia-Center (SRCE) Zdravko Ponos said the agreement from Brussels was “a complete debacle of (Aleksandar) Vucic’s foreign policy”. Asked if the agreement means de facto recognition of Kosovo, Ponos replied that in principle it admits that Kosovo is an independent entity in international relations – respectively a state. “It is not written as that, but it means in fact”, he added.

“This paper changes all, regardless what Vucic did until now and will do in the future, he will be remembered only because of this, history will remember him by this”, he said. According to him, international actors are the biggest winners because it was important for them to put the conflict under order as much as possible and prevent Russian influence in the region.

Leader of Peoples’ Party Vuk Jeremic after the EU officially published the text of the agreement adding that President Aleksandar Vucic and Prime Minister Albin Kurti agreed there is no need to further discuss the text of the agreement, by referring to the part that Serbia will not oppose membership of Kosovo in any international organisation, therefore the UN as well, said that “a grand-treason” was in place.

The Movement for Defence of Kosovo and Metohija said today that President Aleksandar Vucic has recognized the session of Kosovo and called on the Serbian Orthodox Church to make a stance on this issue, BETA news agency reports.

The Movement assessed that Vucic did so “contrary to the Constitution of Serbia, UN SC Resolution 1244, by ignoring plebiscitary, many times and in different manners expressed and confirmed stance of the Serbian people and Serbian citizens, ignoring Russian and China support in the UN”.

“We feel free to remind our beloved mother church that inactivity or impermissibly passive stance on the greatest, ever known internal crime against the state of Serbia, that (President Aleksandar) Vucic is completing those days, can have unforeseeable historic consequences. They would be far-reaching for both our faithful people, not only in Kosovo and Metohija, but also for the honour of the Serbian Orthodox Church and reputation she rightly enjoys among Serbs, but also in Orthodox Ecumene, since the days of Saint Sava”, the Movement said.

Vucic: Difficult, successful struggle in Brussels, I will respond to all lies (N1)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said Tuesday that after a difficult and, as he said, successful struggle in Brussels, the Serbian delegation managed to secure Serbia’s peaceful future and further investments, N1 reports.

Vucic said he is fulfilling his oath, as the President of Serbia and Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia. He announced that he will respond on Tuesday evening on the Serbian public broadcaster RTS to all the manipulations, lies and untruths that are being spread by “keyboard warriors,” “tycoon media,” the RTS and the Tanjug news agency.

“I am analysing everything that has happened. We fought as much as possible in difficult conditions and managed to secure the future of Serbia in peace, continuation of investments in our country”, he said.

“There is no other Serbia for us, we only have one, we will protect it and defend it”, he added, thanking everyone for their care and support on a difficult day.

Vucic met Monday in Brussels with Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti. After the talks European Union (EU) foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said that both parties accepted the European proposal for Kosovo, following which the EU published the full text of the proposal. Kurti said following the meeting that he was ready to sign the agreement, but that the other party was not.

Opinion

The water that did not turn into wine! (Nacionale)

By Agon Maliqi

The parties have agreed on the main text but not on the annex (implementation plan) which according to Borrell is expected to be clarified in the coming months. The dilemma here is not if the association will be created or not, but rather when it will be created. Serbia wants it as the first step and as one that would unblock the following steps, while Kosovo is likely conditioning it with the other agreements and with scoring benefits. More or less like the principle of previous agreements: “no agreement on anything until there is agreement on everything”.
The document is full of ambiguities. In the introduction of the text, Kosovo effectively accepts a second footnote or extends the life of the first footnote, as it notes that parties reach an agreement “without prejudice to the different view of the Parties on fundamental questions, including on status questions”. Kosovo namely agrees with the idea for Serbia not to recognise it.
Some points of the document open avenues for Kosovo but do not give guarantees and are dependent on the will of friendly/allied countries to help us – namely they require a parallel process of discussions with them. Serbia pledges (Article 4) that it will not object to Kosovo’s membership in any international organisation. The issue is that nothing prevents Russia or China to do this on Serbia’s behalf at the United Nations nor for the five countries in Europe to continue obstructing us in NATO and EU. Kosovo, in the last year, instead of investing in diplomatic energy on this issue, decided to waste/lose the trust and credit among friendly countries with headless adventures in the north.
When one reads the text of the agreement and sees the exaltation of militants for not accepting the association, it is no surprise that people believe in religious mythologies of the type “Jesus turns water to wine!” The agreement simply reconfirms that Kosovo has lost eight years in vain with political insanities to return to where it was. To the bottle of water. Wine is only in the eyes of the believers.

A promising day in Brussels, to be followed by non-euphoric days (Koha)

By Enver Robelli

About the prime minister who needs to learn to walk on a flat surface and the opposition that hopes that by throwing fog it can undo the past. The past has been like this: "historical agreements" were signed and then they were announced to be anti-historical. Within two or three years! The future can be different only if the government and the opposition in Kosovo understand that the agreement with Serbia is reached with a joint commitment to limit the damage caused in 2013 and 2015. The German-French proposal is not ideal, but not to be thrown away with arrogance either. Maybe this government signed it with one hand, while the opposition, if it was in power, would have signed it with both hands. And it is good for both parties to understand that due to the war in Ukraine the Western world began to pressure Serbia to accept Kosovo as a neighbor based on the "sovereign equality of all states, respect for their independence, autonomy and territorial integrity." However, there is no place for triumphalist tones because the bitter pills have yet to be swallowed. In the interpretation of the agreement proposed by the EU, both nihilists and triumphalists are unreliable.

1. Those who signed the association of Serbian municipalities in the past told the people: this is a historic agreement, it integrates us into the EU and NATO and ensures visa liberalization. So, they called the signing of 2013 and 2015 a historic agreement.

Three years later they said: oh my god, the association appears to be "republika srpska". And how to avoid the "republika srpska"? Let's give Serbia territory now. What was called historical today, was declared anti-historical the next day. Today's opposition did this when it was in power. Now they are desperate that they failed to sell a part of Kosovo for personal interests. Now they are talking non-sense.

2. As I have written several times and although I hate to quote the previous writings, but this time I have to do it: some form of association for the Serb community is inevitable. Because Kosovo has entered into international obligations (just as it has entered into the Special Court, which the approvers once praised because it "removes the dark clouds over Kosovo", then they wanted to undo it and provoked a strong international reaction). We can say what we want about Ramush Haradinaj, but he has understood best that when one takes over international obligations, this is an irreversible path. It is good that even the current prime minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, understands this. He seems to be on the way to figure it out if we go by what he said in Brussels.

Those who signed in 2013 and 2015 did so on behalf of Kosovo. Albin Kurti inherited the association and cannot act as a private person who rejects it, because, as it was said, Hashim Thaçi and Isa Mustafa did not sign as private persons, but as elected politicians and on behalf of Kosovo. It is useless to waste time in cursing what has happened. It is useful to limit as much as possible the damage caused, as determined by the Constitutional Court itself.

Here the opposition can play a constructive role because the Constitutional Court has condemned this opposition for the decisions it made when it was in power. Or the opposition can continue the empty rhetoric, aiming to deepen the damage in the hope that this is how it comes to power, but the majority of the citizens of Kosovo will not trust such an opposition. As much as the citizens - rightly - may be disappointed with the weak governance of Albin Kurti's team, for the association, they do not blame the one who did not commit the fault.

3. It is true that Kurti came to power also with the promise that he would not establish the community of Serbian municipalities. Even Joschka Fischer, when he joined the Green Party of Germany, swore to pacifism and in the end, alongside Madeleine Albright, he became a big supporter of the bombing of Serbia to liberate Kosovo. He paid a price for this: a militant injured his ear with a colored can while speaking against the war criminal Slobodan Milosevic.

Albin Kurti may pay an electoral price if he accepts the association. But courageous politicians pay the electoral price for the high interests of the state. In fact, the price that Joschka Fischer paid was not that high, because even after the Kosovo war, his party remained in power for another mandate. When the agreement for the normalization of relations between the two Germanys was signed in 1972, the head of the West German delegation, Egon Bahr, said: "There is no agreement that gives something to only one side."

Like any passionate politician, Albin Kurti is not immune to populist slogans. Coming to power has also shown him that there is a big gap between moralistic arguments and realpolitik. He must cross the gap. The efforts to establish order in the north and the resistance of the criminal groups that control the Serb minority also showed Kurti that Kosovo's sovereignty is limited.

4. The agreement presented by the EU is not ideal, but it is acceptable as a half-step towards the final goal and should not be rejected with arrogance. Serbia accepts the territorial integrity of Kosovo. Let's not expect Serbia to protect that integrity. The citizens of Kosovo must protect it. Their government. This government and others that come after it. Some seem to be traumatized and expect Albin Kurti to govern until 2050. Kosovar society is young and dynamic and capable of making appropriate corrections: we have seen this in the past local elections.

Serbia, according to the agreement, accepts the symbols of Kosovo. It is obliged not to hinder Kosovo's entry into international organizations. The 27 EU member states and the US support the plan. So, even the 5 countries that do not recognize Kosovo. Some of them are expected to recognise Kosovo, others may continue to refuse, but their position will be weaker. There are many issues that are worth highlighting in favor of Kosovo, for example Article 2 of the agreement: "Both parties will be guided by the goals and principles set forth in the Charter of the United Nations, especially those of the sovereign equality of all states, respecting their independence, autonomy and territorial integrity, the right to self-determination, the protection of human rights and non-discrimination". There will be an exchange of permanent missions between the two countries. But there are many bitter pills that Kosovo must swallow and there should be no illusions about this. The document contains several "bridges" that allow each party to read as they wish and not according to reality.

Cheers from the stands that "Kurti did not accept the association" are for internal consumption. Just as the "treason receipts" that some exponents of the opposition are releasing on social media are for internal consumption. How the association will be designed remains a mystery. This is where spears will collide. The document states that the Serbian community will enjoy a degree of self-management, while the word self-governance is not mentioned. But this may just be a play on words and the epilogue remains to be seen. Even the issue of protecting the Serbian church remains a mysterious and potentially dangerous project.

5. Kosovo has lost 10 years with talks without a final goal. With negotiations day by day. And this trend would continue if the Russian aggression against Ukraine did not happen a year ago. The war in Ukraine started and the Western countries began to put pressure on Serbia. Credit for this – as paradoxical as it sounds – goes to Vladimir Putin. In addition to their interest in the consolidation of Kosovo's citizenship, the EU and the US want to separate Serbia as much as possible from Russian influence. This is intended to be achieved by not asking Serbia to accept Kosovo's independence explicitly. One can see this as injustice towards Kosovo. In fact, it is realpolitik that starts from the possible, ignoring the ideal postulates. The aim is to achieve a goal and not to realize a big idea. In this case, it should be taken into account that other countries, no matter how friendly towards Kosovo, have their own interests as well.

On the European proposal/agreement: What was (not) lost in translation (KoSSev)

By Dragutin Nenezic

The text of the European (no longer Franco-German) proposal, now called „Agreement on the path to normalisation between Kosovo and Serbia,“ was published last night. In this article, I would like to briefly discuss some key issues that have arisen in connection with it, as well as to analyse each article separately, highlighting some sections of interest. An impatient reader may only read the first part and skip the analysis, while a reader hungry for a more detailed explanation and analysis will have to summon a bit of patience.

Did Serbia recognize Kosovo?

Formally – it did not, but it recognized, among other things, the territorial integrity of Kosovo (without a footnote, as I will refer to it in the rest of the text, even though I do not agree with this), its national symbols and passports, as well as its right to join international organisations. Explicit recognition is reserved for the final, comprehensive agreement, and this document, as its name suggests, is part of the path to normalisation, that is, the path to such an agreement, which I have written about previously.

Is this a proposal or an agreement? Has it been accepted or signed?

This is undoubtedly an agreement, although the title also uses the term „proposal“, and it has been accepted but not signed. The fact that it is referred to as a proposal and that it was not signed can stem from several factors: Signing may not have been planned in the first place, and both probably represent a political concession to one or both parties – here I draw attention to the note presented below in the analysis of Article 11. Certainly, according to articles 11 and 14 of the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties, which can be consulted regardless of any issues surrounding its applicability to Kosovo, acceptance is equated with signing, and we heard from Josep Borrell as the representative-mediator that the parties „agreed that no further discussions are needed on the EU Proposal.”

International

No Signatures for Big Deal in Brussels, yet (Prishtina Insight)

After a several-hour meeting in Brussels between Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, no agreement was signed, though both sides reportedly agreed to the EU proposal.

The tripartite meeting that was expected to bring signatures to the EU proposal for the normalisation of relations between Kosovo and Serbia ended in Brussels without a signed final agreement.

However, the High Representative of the European Union, Josep Borrell, stated that Kosovo PM Albin Kurti and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, had agreed on the EU proposal, and there was no need for further discussions on that.

“I am pleased to announce that President Vucic and Prime Minister Kurti have today agreed that no further discussions are needed for the European Union Proposal, the proposal that had the title ‘Agreement on the Paths to Normalisation Kosovo and Serbia’. And they both disagreed that no more discussions were needed,” Borrel told a press conference.

Borrel said more negotiations were needed to determine the specific implementation of the modalities, and in the middle of March the EU emissary, Miroslav Lajcak, will visit Kosovo and Serbia.

“They [the two leaders] show readiness but further negotiations are needed for models. I will call another meeting of leaders during March with both leaders for the implementation of the annex; this is part of the agreement and must be finalised. The EU has reminded partners of their obligations to implement all agreements. In the middle of March, the special representative of the EU will visit Kosovo and Serbia to get the answers for the next meeting,” Borrell said.