The US State Department said it agrees with the European Union that Serbia has violated the obligations from the Brussels dialogue, by approving the draft law on judicial jurisdiction in Kosovo and by declaring Kosovo a "special social protection area".

"We reiterate the US Government's support for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Kosovo throughout its territory," said a DASH spokesperson for Radio Free Europe.

Washington said that the dialogue for the normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia, which is mediated by the EU, has developed practical solutions that promote the rights of the citizens of Kosovo, including the Serbs living in the north of Kosovo.

"This must be implemented. We call on Kosovo and Serbia to implement, without delay, the commitments they made in the 2023 Agreement on the road to the normalization of relations, including the establishment of an association of municipalities with a Serbian majority," said the DASH spokesperson.

A day earlier, the EU criticized Serbia for the law approved earlier in the week by Serbia, which aims to prosecute criminal offenses committed on the territory of Kosovo.

The law that the Government of Serbia proposed to the Serbian Assembly for approval on October 28, foresees trials for all crimes under the Criminal Code of this country, which were committed after the declaration of Kosovo's independence in February 2008.

It was said that this law will also apply to criminal proceedings initiated before its approval.

The head of the Office for Kosovo in the Serbian Government, Petar Petkovic, said that the laws are a reaction to, as he put it, "the suppression of the Serbian people by the regime in Pristina and the lack of visible actions by the EU mission, EULEX".

He also said that "if there was rule of law in Kosovo and if the Serbs had any legal security", then the law proposed by the Government in Belgrade would not be necessary".

EU: Serbia has violated the obligations from the dialogue with Kosovo • KosovaPress

Even Kosovo has criticized this Serbian legislation and the Deputy Prime Minister of Kosovo, Besnik Bislimi, has accused Belgrade of violating dialogue agreements and violating territorial sovereignty and integrity with these draft laws.

Kosovo and Serbia have reached an agreement on the judiciary in 2015 and 2017 and have agreed on its implementation and the integration of Kosovo Serbs in the justice institutions in Kosovo.

However, hundreds of members of the Serbian community in the north resigned from Kosovo's institutions, including the municipalities, the police, the courts and the prosecutor's office, in November 2022, as a sign of dissatisfaction with some decisions of the Government of Kosovo.

During this year, the Government of Kosovo took several steps - such as removing the Serbian dinar from use and closing Serbian parallel structures - in an effort to extend its authority as much as possible in the north.

This prompted official Belgrade to announce in September that it would establish a special prosecutor's office for the territory of Kosovo, as a measure to protect the "vital national interests of the Serbian people" in Kosovo.

Meanwhile, the president of Serbia, Aleksandar Vuçiq, has presented some measures for Kosovo earlier in the week, saying that the special prosecutor's office and special court chambers will "pursue all those who participate in the persecution of the Serbian population" in Kosovo. /REL