Albin Kurti has spoken about the position of French President Emmanuel Macron regarding the Kosovo–Serbia dialogue. During their meeting in Paris, he said that Macron showed interest in KFOR, peace and security in Kosovo, as well as the dialogue conducted in Brussels.
After the government meeting, Kurti said that Serbia’s president Aleksandar Vucic accepted the agreement but refused to sign it.
“President Macron understands very well the dynamics in the Balkans, which relate to current political developments, but also include elements that are consequences of historical developments in our region. The French president understands that security in the Balkans is not only important for the integration of the Balkans into the EU, but also for security in Europe itself. He has shown great interest in KFOR, NATO, peace and security in Kosovo, and also in the dialogue conducted in Brussels, which we know has advanced significantly because it has resulted in an agreement. In Brussels we have not only had dialogue, we have also had an agreement. It is another matter that the President of Serbia has accepted the agreement but has refused to sign it. This is a kind of double standard: you say you accept the agreement, but you do not sign it. I believe the problems began in the spring of 2023, precisely when it was said that the agreement was accepted, but its signing was refused,” he said.
Regarding the Brussels dialogue, Kurti said they also discussed in particular the implementation of agreements. He also said that Milan Radojcic must be handed over to local security and justice institutions.
“These issues require trust and legal certainty, which comes from the signing of the agreement, and from the withdrawal of the letter by Ana Brnabic, who was then prime minister and is now speaker of the Serbian parliament, and who on 13 December 2023 informed the EU that Serbia does not respect Kosovo’s territorial integrity. How can we conduct dialogue, how can we implement agreements, how can we have trust if someone publicly and officially states in writing that they do not respect your territorial integrity? That letter must be withdrawn, the basic Brussels agreement with the Ohrid implementation annex must be signed, and let us not forget, Milan Radojčić must be handed over to Kosovo’s security and justice institutions, because together with 44 other paramilitaries who killed Kosovo hero Afrim Bunjaku, there is a 160-page indictment in Kosovo. We have a judicial process waiting to start. Should it start in absentia when we know where that person is? For us, it is understandable that it must start in absentia when we do not know where a person is, but it is absurd that in Kosovo we would have to start a trial in absentia for a person whose location we know,” Kurti added.
Furthermore, he said there are no problems in the implementation of the Law on Foreigners.
“As far as I have information, up to this moment there are no problems regarding the implementation of the Law on Foreigners. We have created a 12-month window for those who should not lose their right to work and residence due to lack of documentation, but we have accompanied this with another three-month window where they can obtain legal documents. Therefore, we are not against Serbs; Serbia is against us, and Serbs in Kosovo are treated as citizens of the Republic. We should not forget that there are also other minorities; there is not only the Serb minority,” he concluded.
