• Kurti: Association can be discussed; but no monoethnic association (media)
• Chollet: A crisis in Kosovo would hinder US-Serbia cooperation (RFE)
• Chollet: Kosovo must fulfill its commitments, including Association (BIRN)
• US pressures Serbia and Kosovo in effort to stop ‘violence metastasising’ (FT)
• Kurti: Without apology from Serbia, no meaningful peace in Balkans (media)
• Kurti for El Pais: Kosovo and Catalonia are not the same (media)
• Nehammer: Austria ready to send additional troops to Kosovo if needed (RFE)
• The West can’t afford to let Kosovo unravel (The Washington Post, Bloomberg)
• Labour promises ‘laser-like’ focus on Kosovo and Serbia in foreign policy charm offensive (The Independent)
• EP’s LIBE votes in favors of visa liberalisation for Kosovo (media)
• Haradinaj: Kurti's unilateral actions have caused consequences (media)
• Xharra: Here is ideal agreement between Kosovo and Serbia (euronews.al)

Kurti: Association can be discussed; but no monoethnic association (media)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti told a joint press conference with Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer in Vienna, on Thursday, that the Association of Serb-majority municipalities can be discussed within the French-German proposal, but that there can be no monoethnic association in Kosovo.

“The European Union and Borrell insist for the plan to be called the EU proposal, supported by Germany and France. I fully support this. The proposal is a good basis for further negotiations. We are at a time when we discuss an agreement for the full normalisation between Kosovo and Serbia, and the issue of the Association can be discussed there, however, according to the Constitution of Kosovo, which gives many privileges to the Serb minority and which was drafted by Ahtisaari, in its spirit it does not allow a monoethnic association. The first sentence notes that Kosovo must be a multiethnic society and monoethnic associations are not in the spirit of that plan or of our Constitution,” Kurti is quoted as saying.

Chollet: A crisis in Kosovo would hinder US-Serbia cooperation (RFE)

The senior adviser of the US Department of State, Derek Chollet, has said that a possible crisis in Kosovo could hinder the cooperation between the United States of America and Serbia.

In a discussion with reporters in Belgrade, Chollet was asked about US-Serbia relations, which he said are "strong and strategic" but could be hampered if the issues between Kosovo and Serbia are not resolved.

"I am afraid that as long as the issue of Kosovo remains unresolved, in particular if the situation would lead to a crisis, as we were afraid was approaching a few weeks ago, this would prevent a deeper cooperation between us. We don't want to see that," he said.

In recent weeks, in Kosovo, there have been continuous tensions in the four northern municipalities inhabited by Serbian majority, where the roads to the Kosovo-Serbia border points were barricaded for 20 days.

"We want to get out of the crisis cycle that we have been in for a long time. We want to engage in dialogue and we support the dialogue (between Kosovo and Serbia)", said Chollet, who in the last two days has visited Pristina and Belgrade.

Chollet has repeated his position that he expressed in the meeting with the Serbian president, Aleksandar Vucic, earlier on Thursday. The senior American official said that a commitment to dialogue is needed, based on the French-German proposal for the normalization of Kosovo-Serbia relations, otherwise known as the European proposal.

On December 11, Radio Free Europe reported that the European plan does not mention mutual recognition between Kosovo and Serbia.

In the document provided by REL, it was stated that the key elements of this EU proposal for the normalization of relations between the two countries are: respect for territorial integrity, inviolability of borders, recognition of state symbols and a special arrangement for the Serb community in Kosovo.

Among other things, Chollet also reiterated the position that Kosovo should form the Association of municipalities with a Serbian majority based on the Constitution of Kosovo.

The senior adviser of the US Department of State was also asked by journalists about the fact that Serbia has not imposed sanctions on Russia, after the invasion of Ukraine, which began in February 2022.

"This is difficult for the states, we understand that. We believe that it is a practical matter for Serbia to fulfill its European destiny. As long as it remains outside the consensus on sanctions against Russia, it is difficult to see that this process will go forward," Chollet said.

Chollet also spoke about the presence of the Russian mercenary group 'Wagner' in the Balkans.

"We have raised concerns about the Wagner group. We have seen that the Wagner group wants to recruit soldiers from Serbia and other countries, and we think that this is something that should not happen," he said.

Kosovo and Serbia have been in dialogue with the mediation of the EU since 2011. The process is said to be aimed at concluding with a legally binding agreement.

Prishtina demands that the agreement include mutual recognition, while Belgrade insists on a compromise solution, without specifying exactly what kind of compromise it is.

The Serbian chief diplomat, Ivica Dacic, has stated that Serbia has three red lines regarding Kosovo: any agreement reached must be implemented, non-recognition of Kosovo's independence and guaranteeing the safety of Serbs living in Kosovo.

Chollet: Kosovo must fulfill its commitments, including Association (BIRN)

US State Department advisor says Kosovo must respect all its commitments within the dialogue, including on formation of the Association of municipalities with a Serbian majority.

Derek Chollet, during his visit to Kosovo on Wednesday, emphasized that both Kosovo and Serbia must urgently engage in the dialogue led by the European Union.

“We are at a critical moment. We believe Kosovo and Serbia should urgently engage in the dialogue led by the European Union, which is working towards a comprehensive agreement for the normalization of relations focused on mutual recognition,” the US State Department advisor told journalists.

Chollet said the US believes that dialogue is the best tool for Kosovo to secure its full European and Euro-Atlantic future.

The dialogue process, the European plan and the relations between Kosovo and Serbia were among the topics of discussion between the Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, and Chollet.

After the meeting, Chollet  expressed that he appreciated the constructive approach of Kosovo in the dialogue.

“Important conversation with Prime Minister Albin Kurti on Dialogue. Appreciate Kosovo engaging constructively and flexibly. Looking forward to continued partnership on advancing ongoing efforts towards normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia,” Chollet wrote on Twitter.

Before Kurti, Chollet, who started his visit to Kosovo on January 11, met President Vjosa Osmani.

Meanwhile, at a meeting with officials of the main Kosovo Serbian party Serbian list, Chollet emphasized the importance of the formation of the Association of Municipalities with Serbian majority, ASM, in accordance with the constitution of Kosovo.

“Informative meeting with Srpska List members. Valuable to hear the concerns of all communities in Kosovo.  Need Kosovan Serbs in Kosovan institutions. We continue to emphasize the importance of an ASM consistent with Kosovo’s Constitution,” Chollet wrote on Twitter.

The visit comes at a time of new international efforts to speed up the process of normalizing relations between Kosovo and Serbia.

The State Department advisor, in the meeting with Osmani and Kurti, was accompanied by the US envoy to the Western Balkans, Gabriel Escobar.

Earlier on January 11, Chollet also visited Skopje, North Macedonia, and after Prishtina he left for Belgrade.

Before starting the visit to Kosovo, the US Department of State notified that Chollet would talk with leaders of Kosovo and Serbia about Euro-Atlantic integration, including reaching an agreement for the normalization of relations between the two states, based on mutual recognition.

US pressures Serbia and Kosovo in effort to stop ‘violence metastasising’ (FT)

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The US is ramping up diplomatic pressure on Serbia and Kosovo to prevent “violence metastasising” after a recent flare-up in a region where Russia still wields influence, according to a senior official.

In December, Serbs living in Kosovo erected barricades and prompted border closures after Pristina required them to replace Serbia-issued licence plates and IDs. That stand-off sparked concerns in Washington and Brussels about Europe potentially facing a new security threat at a time when the continent is consumed with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

“We were worried about violence metastasising . . . The last thing any of us wants right now is a crisis in this part of the world given that we have the biggest crisis since the second world war not too far away,” state department official Derek Chollet told the Financial Times on Wednesday.

Chollet, the highest-ranking US diplomat to visit the region in several years, described the December events as “sobering for many”, in a rare admission about the limitations of Washington’s decades-long diplomatic efforts in the region.

Read more at: http://bit.ly/3Xvlnul

Kurti: Without apology from Serbia, no meaningful peace in Balkans (media)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti during his visit to Austria, is participating in the discussion "The Western Balkans: a central part of sustainable peace in Europe," organized by the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna, the Austrian Institute for European and Security Policy.

In his introductory speech, Kurti said that Kosovo will not forget Serbia's crimes in the last war in Kosovo and that without an apology from the Serbian state there will be no peace in the Balkans. The Prime Minister of Kosovo said that the solution to the situation in the Western Balkans and perhaps the way forward would be Europeanization and complete democratization of the states.

"Why we see tensions in every country in the Western Balkans is because the aggressor, Serbia, which has started all the wars in the region, refuses to take responsibility. Even after the genocides committed by Serbia, it does not accept any crime and has never apologized or taken responsibility. Without an apology from Serbia, meaningful peace in the Balkans is impossible. Instead of apologizing, Serbia continues to threaten its neighbors and use minorities as a tool for destabilization," Kurti said in Austria.

He also mentioned the mass graves found in Serbia, not far from Belgrade, saying that 'there is no memorial plaque that there was a mass grave there'. "We will not forget the missing. We will not forget the 1,616 children who disappeared in the last war" - emphasized Kurti.

"Despite these, we are ready for talks and peace agreements with Serbia, but Serbia does not want that. On the other hand, while Serbia is not accepting the guilt for the thousands of people killed in Kosovo, it is being rewarded by the EU with billions of euros of investments and receiving the status of a candidate country," he said.

In the discussion organized by the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna, Kurti was also asked about the influence of Russia and China in Kosovo; plans for economic development in Kosovo and for the priorities of Kosovo.

“I am fully convinced that Belgrade is waiting for 2024 and delaying the dialogue and agreements with Kosovo until, in their hope, the president in the White House will change. So, the double expectation creates some false hopes in the West," Kurti said.

Kurti for El Pais: Kosovo and Catalonia are not the same (media)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti said in an interview with El Pais that the case of Kosovo is not the same as that of Catalonia and that he expects Spanish President Pedro Sanchez to change his position on Kosovo’s independence.

Kurti said that the recent tensions in the north of Kosovo started when Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic started rejecting the French-German proposal for the normalisation of relations between Kosovo and Serbia.

Read full interview at: https://bit.ly/3QyGXvG

Nehammer: Austria ready to send additional troops to Kosovo if needed (RFE)

Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer said on Thursday that his country is ready to send additional troops to Kosovo as part of NATO’s peacekeeping mission, KFOR, if there is an official request from the Alliance.

At a joint press conference with Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti, Nehammer said his country has the largest number of troops in KFOR from countries that are not NATO member states, adding that they support Kosovo’s idea for additional troops.

“We support Kosovo’s call for increased troops for greater security and we will be ready to send additional troops if KFOR asks us to do this, because it is important to note that different communities agree with the presence of KFOR. We are fully confident and ready to provide more troops if this is officially requested by NATO, KFOR,” Nehammer said.

The West can’t afford to let Kosovo unravel (The Washington Post, Bloomberg)

More than two decades since NATO went to war to stop ethnic cleansing in Kosovo, the Balkan region is on edge again. Escalating tensions between Kosovo’s government and the country’s ethnic Serbian minority have raised the prospect of renewed fighting that could draw in neighboring Serbia and put at risk the 3,700 NATO troops still stationed in Kosovo.

With Western governments focused on Ukraine, the long-festering Kosovo-Serbia dispute may seem like a distraction, but ignoring the problem would be a mistake. The US and Europe should apply greater pressure on both sides to return to the negotiating table and avert another Balkan war before it begins.

Home to some 1.8 million people, mostly ethnic Albanians, Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008. Serbia refuses to recognize Kosovo as a sovereign state and has supported efforts by ethnic Serbs living in the country’s north to resist the authority of the central government in Pristina. A 2013 agreement brokered by the European Union calls for Kosovo to allow a degree of self-rule for ethnic Serb communities. However, Prime Minister Albin Kurti opposes making any such concessions so long as the Serbian government in Belgrade denies Kosovo’s right to exist.

Read more at: http://bit.ly/3IF9fCN

Labour promises ‘laser-like’ focus on Kosovo and Serbia in foreign policy charm offensive (The Independent)

An ongoing confrontation and sabre-rattling amid outbreaks of violence in Kosovo has raised fears of a return to the bloody strife which preceded the birth of the nation following the break-up of Yugoslavia.

While international focus has been on the war in Ukraine, tensions have been rising in the western Balkan between Serbia and Kosovo with bitter accusations, recriminations and sectarian clashes.

Last weekend Nato turned down demands from Serbia to send a thousand police and military into Kosovo for the first time since the war of more than two decades ago to protect Belgrade held compatriots and Orthodox Christian religious sites in the country.

There have been sporadic outbreaks of violence between the ethnic Serbians and Albanians in recent months. In the latest incident, a Kosovar soldier was arrested after allegedly shooting and wounding two Serbian boys, aged 11 and 12, near the town of Shterpce.

Read more at: https://bit.ly/3kc9paA

EP’s LIBE votes in favors of visa liberalisation for Kosovo (media)

The European Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice, and Home Affairs (LIBE) approved the trilogue agreement on visa liberalisation with Kosovo on 12 January 2023, with 48 votes in favor, 7 against and 3 abstentions. LIBE Committee Rapporteur, Thijs Reuten, shared the information in a Twitter post. “One step closer! To the long awaited visa free travel for Kosovo,” he tweeted.

Haradinaj: Kurti's unilateral actions have caused consequences (media)

Leader of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) Ramush Haradinaj has spoken about the Vetevendosje Movement video, where the opposition was criticized for steeling and extortion.

"My advice to Kurti and his colleagues, don't limit yourself with these videos. Kurti has brought himself, his party, and unfortunately Kosovo to a dead end. He is in a very dangerous corner for himself, for his party and for Kosovo. America's proposal for license plates to Kurti was not for America, but it was for Kosovo without new consequences until the agreement, just for this reason. Kurti's unilateral actions have caused so many consequences that today we are not talking about the final agreement but about the Association. All these have brought him into a corner," Haradinaj said.

Xharra: Here is ideal agreement between Kosovo and Serbia (euronews.al)

Journalist Albana Xharra said in an interview for Euronews Albania that in the final agreement between Kosovo and Serbia, the association will pass, but Kosovo must set clear conditions in its final negotiations.

According to Xharra, Serbia has not given any signal that it will recognize Kosovo’s independence, so Kosovo should never allow Serbia executive power within its territory.

“In these negotiations, something should be demanded in return, because this is what Serbia and the international powers do in relation to Kosovo. It is obvious that Serbia isn’t thinking of recognizing Kosovo any time soon. The association will definitely pass, but Serbia should not be allowed to have executive power because there is no signal that Serbia will recognize Kosovo’s independence any time soon. Kosovo should be able to understand to what extent they should oppose the US in order not to enter into a status quo, but also not to allow Serbia to have executive powers within its territory,” Xharra said.