Lajcak: Association of Serb-Majority Municipalities Statute Envisaged as Kosovo’s Internal Document, Serbia’s Signature Not Necessary

The European Union’s special representative for the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue, Miroslav Lajcak (BETAPHOTO/MILOS MISKOV)

The Statute of an Association of Serb-majority Municipalities has been envisaged as an internal document of Kosovo and therefore it requires no signature by Serbia, EU Special Representative for the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue Miroslav Lajcak has said.

In an interview with Pristina newsportal Gazeta Express, Lajcak said that putting a signature on a new draft statute, which “the big five” presented to the sides in October, would make it an international agreement, which, he said, it actually was not. Lajcak further said that at Kosovo’s request, his team had on several occasions discussed formalizing the draft statute, adding he had suggested a few options to Kosovo Premier Albin Kurti, which Pristina should review and respond accordingly.

In October, Kurti and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic had in principal expressed readiness to endorse the European draft statute for creation of the Association of Serb-majority Municipalities, he said, adding that the two officials had also made some requests. “Premier Kurti made creation of the Association of Serb-majority Municipalities conditional to the signing by both sides of the Agreement on the path to normalization between Kosovo and Serbia and its implementation Annex, as well as the statute of the Association of Serb-majority Municipalities. In parallel, Serbia submitted additional questions seeking further clarification,” Lajcak specified.

Lajcak added that implementation was currently on halt due to the stated requests of the two sides, stressing that European mediators had been working diligently toward finding solutions.