Emisars' message: Kosovo, Serbia have entered normalisation agreement, events of September 24th do not change that

Prime Minister Albin Kurti today waited in his office for the five Western diplomats who came with a view to pushing forward the initial normalisation process between Kosovo and Serbia, which was baffled due to the terrorist attack on Banjska, where police officer Africa Buxaku was killed. For this, Kosovo has directly charged Serbia as responsible, until it has also provided evidence of this. President Osmani and Prime Minister Kurti have often declared that the reconciliation process cannot resume as if nothing happened on 24 September.

The message brought today by the two EU, US envoys, as well as advisers sent by Chancellor Scholz, President Macron and Prime Minister Melon was that 24 September Melon changed the fact that Kosovo and Serbia are engaged in an agreement that was facilitated by the EU and supported by the US.

The events of September 24th do not change that nor do they change the fact that Kosovo and Serbia entered an agreement on the road to normalisation earlier this year”, Emisari Miroslav Lajcak said after meeting with Kurti.

Lajcak continued his statement with a request to Kosovo to establish the Association of Serb-run municipalities without delay and conditions.

“Kurti has a responsibility to make progress in normalising relations if Kosovo will make progress towards the EU. Now we have to stress the need to move to the establishment of association without any delay. Without that, there will be no progress of Kosovo on the European road”, Lajcak said.

However, after journalists' questions, Lajcak added that the terrorist attack has changed many things, but not dialogue.

“Dialog sanctum alternative. Banjska's attack has changed a lot. And I was very clear that the authors must face the consequences. The dialogue must continue”, Lajcak has declared.

At a media conference after meeting with US senators Jeanne Shaheen and Peter Welch who were visiting Kosovo, Kurti had declared that dialogue with Serbia could continue the same after 24 September.

I informed senators that the EU-mediated dialogue cannot simply continue as if nothing had happened. The next chapter of dialogue for normalisation must now hold Serbia's aggressor act in charge. Basic steps must be taken so that dialogue has at least a chance to succeed”, Kurti said, adding that there should be a balanced approach at the table of discussions.

In its ongoing request for Serbia's sanction for the aggression act towards Kosovo, Osmani has said the process of dialogue should be reconsidered following the terrorist attack that took place.

The “Already made 12 years in dialogue and it is time for reflection because the approach of these 12 years has encouraged Vucinqi to use violence and commit acts of aggression against Kosovo. So we can't act like it didn't happen on September 24th. The whole process of dialogue should be reconsidered in the waters of what happened on September 24th, knowing it is a violation of Article 3 of the Agreement towards normalisation and its Anex”, Osmani said.

Osmani had declared in Spain during the European Political Community summit that there could be meetings with Serbia's president, Aleksandar Vuciq, without being punished for what caused on 24 September.

However, Lajcak in today's statement to the media said he strongly condemns the terrorist attack, repeating clearly that all responsible ones must be brought to justice and that from Serbia seek to co-operate fully and concrete actions in this direction.

And here I mean that the terrorist attack against the Kosovo Police by armed individuals constitutes a clear and unprecedented crossing. We expressed our condolences to Prime Minister Kurti and strongly condemned the attack on September 24th”, Lajcak has said, adding that at the meeting, he stressed that deespass and normalisation are more needed than ever now.