Osman agrees with QUINT: Kosovo offered options for elections, Serbia declined

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani has spoken about elections in Serbia during the conference for her one-year job as head of state.

Serbia's “is unfortunately and the entire region that does not have a positive change in the context of the mentality that Serbia leads. A mentality of the 1990s is continuing where Serbia continues to see other states in the region in particular Kosovo, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina as interim states. I believe they already have it clear that these states are permanent and despite the destabilising role that Serbia as Russia's satellite plays in our region, no one intends to give up our right to exist as a free, sovereign and independent country.

Serbia has continued with a variety of propaganda during this period, propaganda intended to present Kosovo institutions as institutions that have allegedly violated the right of Serbs to vote. The truth is far from that because Serbia has in fact banned the right of Serbs to vote. Kosovo institutions have allowed Serbian citizens who have two citizenships to vote either through the liaison office or through the post office, or by signing a bilateral agreement that would fully respect the best international practices in this direction. So there were three options which weren't accepted by Serbia, so Serbia is what has denied the possibility of voting by mail, the possibility of voting in the liaison office and prevented the signing of the bilateral agreement which would be in line with the practices of democratic countries and with practices accepted by the Venice Commission”.

My “Rol has been to ensure the mode which is discussed and negotiated to be in full compliance with the Kosovo Constitution, the country's laws and to be in full with the Constitution of Kosovo.

It has been in full accordance with the Constitution of the country, it has been a clear violation of the sovereignty of our country.

Despite Serbia's propaganda, Kosovo testified that it respects all its citizens' rights indiscriminately. Serbia, what it has done, has banned Albanians from the Valley from exploiting their right to vote.

According to Helsinki Committee, they are performing ethnic cleansing  through administrative means.

Of course, there is no reason to influence the case of us as Kosovo. We have proved full willingness to respect the most advanced international principles.

We have respected all international practices that recognise democratic countries.

Kosovo has not contributed in any way that tensions the situation over dialogue.

I hope the pressure of the international community is now to return to Serbia, so that they can prove that they are a country for Europe.

Our expectations are very big from the EU, but I cannot say that we have optimistic expectations regarding Serbia's behaviour”, the president said./Periscopi/