EU for license plates: Kosovo, Serbia to refrain, do not want escalation situation

EU spokesman Peter Stano says Kosovo and Serbia should refrain from escalating steps.

The European Union and its member states expect Kosovo and Serbia to refrain from unilateral steps, escalation and focus all energy and efforts on achieving progress in the dialogue to move it forward towards the ultimate goal of reaching a comprehensive agreement on normalising relations”, the EU spokesman has said.

Stano, among other things, said preventing escalation between the two countries can only be achieved through dialogue.

“Progress in dialogue is the best way to prevent escalation that only harms people on both sides”, Stano stressed for Clankosova.tv.

The country's prime minister, Albin Kurti, on yesterday, after the end of the summit for the Western Balkans in Pristina, was firm that the decision to reregister all cars with RKS plates is no longer postponed after the same decision was postponed once in late September.

“Instead of being October 1st is the date of November 1st, that is, the last date is October 31st, when all citizens of the Republic of Kosovo, which have hugely owned vehicles of Milosevic's time, will have the opportunity to convert them to legal license”, Kurti has declared.

The executive leader, among other things, said this decision is not against Serbs living in Kosovo.

We do the best we can by not saving our energy and knowledge. These are not measures against Serbs, rather measures for Serbs offering them financial relief. We're interested in being all equal. We can't be equal when someone has RKS license plates and someone wants to hold KM”.

The “is neither revenge nor resentment, but it is law enforcement that does not discriminate against people on the basis of ethnic affiliation”, Kurti said.

Besides the European Union, neither the United States of America wants to escalate the situation with the decision on license plates.

A spokesman for the American Embassy in Pristina has told Free Europe Radio today that the United States intends that the Government of Kosovo's decision to reregister cars with Serbian license plates at the RKS Republic of Kosovo will be implemented peacefully, and not contribute to increased tensions.

Among other things, the Embassy has said that the US, along with European partners, believes the Kosovo Government's decision is in line with Brussels' agreements, and that, in principle, they have no disagreements about it.

“However, we have demanded, along with our international partners, a ten-month delay in implementing the” decision is said in the Embassy's response.

Ned Price, spokesman for US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, spoke about the matter during Tuesday (October 25th). He called on Kosovo and Serbia to resolve the issue of license plates peacefully.

Our message about this has been consistent. We fully support the facilitated dialogue by the EU”, Price said.

Among other things, he said Blinken has spoken to Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti and Serbia's president, Aleksandar Vuciq, of whom he urged continued commitment to ensure peace and stability.

“This is why Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Gabriel Escobar was in Pristina and Belgrade to support this process. As you know, the Secretary himself has been deeply involved in this. He spoke with Serbian President Vuciq and Kosovo Prime Minister Kurti earlier this month, on 11 October, I believe it was. He underlined our support for the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue facilitated by the EU. It called for continued constructive commitment to ensure peace and stability throughout the region”, Price said.