Petritsch: Kurt can't refuse to establish association, I'm afraid it becomes Republika Srpska.

The Franco-German plan would be a key step towards normalisation” says former EU envoy for Kosovo Wolfgang Petritsch, but adds that this does not imply final agreements.

The Franco-German proposal does not specify a final solution, but it is an important intermediate step on the road towards normalising relations between Belgrade and Pristina. There is no formal diplomatic recognition, but according to the German-German co-operation model, significant steps must be taken pragmaticly in the mutual normalisation of relations”, says the experienced Austrian diplomat in an interview for Serbian media, “Cosovo Online”.

He certainly has made the war in Ukraine more active in dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia.

Petritsch said there are similarities between the agreement between the two Germanys and the proposal in Kosovo dialogue Serbia, but says those “are limited”.

As for the Association of Serb-based municipalities, he says “has come the time for concrete negotiations”.

“Agreement must be respected, so Pristina must also respect that principle. Kurt may say that he does not want association in a certain way, but he cannot refuse the foundation of association. The principle of international law and judicial states is that signed agreements should also be respected by future governments, without that there would be no international relations”, he said.

Petritsch said he is not afraid this association could become a certain Republika Srpska.

“I'm not afraid of this, because it's about Serbian municipalities, in those areas where they can best manage themselves, by getting it right, that they can unite, and that in a political sense, they jointly present their demands to Pristina”, he says, adding that “Kurti must start to seriously commit to Asociation<3>