Kurti: Yes to Community of Serb Municipalities, but Only as Part of Normalization of Relations with Mutual Recognition

Albin Kurti (BETAPHOTO/STA/Daniel Novakovic)

Kosovo Premier Albin Kurti has said that he has accepted the forming of an Association/Community of Serb-Majority Municipalities, but on the condition that all the obligations taken on through the Agreement on the path to normalization between Kosovo and Serbia and the Ohrid Annex, including mutual recognition, are fulfilled.

Speaking in Al Jazeera TV's documentary Kosovo: The Making of a State, Kurti said that he had "inherited" the forming of the Community from previous Kosovo governments and that the Community was now "part of the main agreement."

"Article 7 states that the Serb community must have self-government. On the other hand, Article 10 states that all the previously signed agreements must be implemented. So I do not deny that. However, only as part of a package of normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia, with mutual recognition," Pristina media quoted Kurti as saying.

On Sept. 17, Kurti told reporters that the measures proposed by Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic had been enacted out of desperation and were part of "an aggressive campaign for new conflicts."
According to Kurti, the three conditions he proposed should be discussed first, namely "the surrender of Milan Radoicic, signing of an agreement, and withdrawal of (Serbian parliament speaker Ana) Brnabic's letter which states that the de facto independence of Kosovo or Kosovo's seat in the U.N. are not accepted, and even its territorial integrity is not respected."

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic on Sept. 13 unveiled five measures for Kosovo seeking a return to the state of affairs before Kosovo's unilateral decisions, declaration of Kosovo as an area under special protection, further strengthening of Serbian institutions in Kosovo, founding of a special prosecutor's office for prosecuting human rights abuses and violations in Kosovo, and rendering of all institutions in Kosovo established after the unilateral declaration of independence illegal.