Civil open letter society Federica Mogherini

The following is the complete letter:

Dear Ms. Mogher

Civil society organisations in Kosovo, together with international partners, and especially with the European Union, for decades have been sincerely committed to helping the efforts to rebuild in Kosovo. We are committed to cultivating principles of good governance, transparency, and accountability for a multi-ethnic society. We know that the only way to create lasting peace and stability in the region is based on acceptance and cultivating multiethnicity.

We have constantly criticised our political leaders, who have failed to manage the EU membership process and dialogue with Serbia in the interest of Kosovo citizens. We will continue to hold them responsible for their failures.

Furthermore, we civil society organisations in Kosovo have been very active in denouncing any attempt to promote ethnic divisions and we have strongly rejected any proposal for dividing the Western Balkans on ethnic grounds, for which history has proven there could be catastrophic consequences for stability in the region. We are also actively engaged, and sometimes to our detriment, in creating bridges of communication and co-operation between Albanians, Serbs and other ethnic groups inside and outside Kosovo. We have worked in partnership with the international community, even when it was extremely painful for us, in the necessary process of reconciliation. We believe this was the basic process for ensuring and restoring mutual confidence, which would bring us freedom of movement, co-operation among businesses and favourable conditions for developing democratic processes in Kosovo.

Viewing the EU as a key ally in the important reforms that should take place in our country, the under-signed organisation of civil society in Kosovo, we kindly ask you to review your efforts and policies towards “the abnormalisation of the” relations between Kosovo and Serbia. We are deeply concerned that the European Union's approach to Kosovo, including some of your recent statements, however unintentional they are, can produce extremely dangerous and harmful effects not only on peace in the region, but may also endanger the full impact of 20-year international commitment towards peacekeeping and statehood. Despite the ongoing dialogue between the two countries, Serbia has openly and consistently ignored Kosovo's citizenship at different levels, for actions that have not had any clear punishment on your part. So:

You call to refrain from unilateral statements in order to maintain credibility of your role as mediator between Kosovo and Serbia;

We ask you to refrain from further pursuing the ethnic exchange of territories between Kosovo and Serbia, which is against all the values on which the EU is established and constantly promotes;

We ask you review the EU's approach to Kosovo, taking into account that all policies recently adopted by the EU -- including the Western Balkans Enlargement Strategy -- have failed to create a clear road to Kosovo's EU membership; this risks losing strong support for the integration process that has existed in Kosovo until now, as citizens are tired of lack of progress and broken promises they have believed in so far;

We call you to ensure that all your actions contribute to an equal treatment of Kosovo with other countries in the region, so as to avoid the risk of reducing popular support for Kosovo's EU integration as a national goal of Kosovo.

So far, we believe that Kosovo has been forced to make very painful compromises, since promises made by the EU have not been kept.

We thank you for your attention and hope to continue our close co-operation with the EU as an essential partner in advancing important reforms for our country.

Civil society organizations supporting this letter:

7 Arts

Anibar

ARPOLES Center

Mitrovica Civil Society Association Association

ATTA

Avoko

Centre for Research Docmentation and Publications ) CRDP

Center for Education and Training CET Prizren

Civil Rights Kosovo Program ) CRP/K

Community Development Fund

Get up.

Dam Festival

Ecovision

ETEA NGO

Lumbre Foundation

GERMIN

Handikos

Kosovo Red Moon

Kosovar Initiative for Stability IKS

Kosovo Democratic Institute HINA KDI

Institue for Development Police ledEP

Democracy Institute for Development D4D

Columbus Institute

The Kosovar Institute for Local Governance KLGI

Kosovo Institute for Justice IKD

Institute for Accounting, Auditing and Finance KAF

Intgra

Initiative for Progress IPO

INJECT

IPKO Foundation

CDC

Council for the Protection of Human Rights and Freedoms MDLNJ

Kosovar Institute for Police Research and Development KIPRED

Kosovo Civil Society Foundation KCSF

Kosovo Foundation of Cultural Heritage With Borders CHB Kosovo

Kosovo Education Center KEC

Kosovar Youth Council KYC

Kosova Popular Foundation KOPF

LGC

Let's Do It Kosova

Let's Do It Peja

Move FOL.

NOPM

Educational Growth Organization ORCA

The Organization of Persons with the Mural Distrophy in Ferizaj OPMF

OJ Q COHA

OJ Q TOKA

Public Organization for Local Initiatives and Spupports POLIS

QPA Centre for Avokim and Politics

Kosovar Center for Urban Research PRO-Planning

Kosovo Women's Group Network RRGK

Network of peer educators

ST The Kosovo I CT Association

The Eye of Vision

Down Syndrome Kosovo Association

Decan Independent Intellectual Association

Today Towards Futre

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