Analyst: Association formed, but implementation conditioned with recognition

The international community is continuing to pressure Kosovo to be established as soon as the Association of Serb majority municipalities, especially after reaching agreement on implementing the European proposal for normalising Kosovo relations- Serbia, which was signed on March 18th 2023 in Ohrid, North Macedonia. University professor Dorajet Imer told Radio Kosovo that Kosovo cannot avoid forming Association, but that for its implementation it must condition Serbia with recognition of the state of Kosovo.

“under these circumstances I consider Kosovo should know how to behave strategically. It should start drafting the draft Association of Serb majority municipalities. Or, an association that completely agrees with the Kosovo Constitution, but the same one never applies until the day Serbia recognises Kosovo's independence. So the beginning of implementing that agreement is to condition recognition of the De-facto and De-jure state of Kosovo from Serbia”, Imer said.

That forming the Association of Serb majority municipalities is inevitable for Kosovo, says even the connoisseur of political issues in the country, Red Gura Red. He said Kosovo could avoid a formation of association with executive competencies.

Kosovo cannot avoid establishing the Association of Serb majority municipalities because government Kurti itself has signed such an agreement. But we can say that Kosovo can avoid establishing the Association with executive competencies, which would create the Bosnia and Herzegovina”, Red said.

Even the other connoisseur of political affairs, Wisar Xani, emphasises that Kosovo is charged with international agreements, forming association. But, he adds, by opposing the formation of association, Kosovo is receiving major shocks from the international community.

Kosovo currently has this share of association ratified and has its obligation to implement. But, which is acting in the way I consider it to be not favouring Kosovo, as rejecting the share of association is receiving blows from the international community”, Xani said.

Draft-vision, as Prime Minister Kurti has called the document proposed by him, to regulate the issue of the Serb community in Kosovo, refers to the 7th point of the Agreement towards normalising Kosovo-Serbia relations. The document envisions a draft status, in which “self-awareness will provide opportunities for members of the Serb community in Kosovo and promote their interests through the single management framework”.

The document, among other things, says it will promote the non-territorial project, “will provide a direct channel of communication with the Government of Kosovo, as well as provide the opportunity to be financed from the Kosovo Government budget, international organisations, third-nation institutions and donations, including from Serbia. The draft status, reportedly in Prime Minister Kurti's proposal, will fully recognise the constitutional characteristics of the Republic of Kosovo.