All Escobar said about the Ohrid Agreement: Signing Matters

According to him, the lack of signing by the parties does not change anything, and the two states have legally binding obligations.

Deputy Assistant Secretary of the United States for European and Eurasian Affairs also told of the main obligations flowing for the parties.

“The summit was successful in paving the way for a peaceful and constructive relationship between Serbia and Kosovo. The next steps are for both sides to begin with implementation as described on Saturday. Both sides have legally binding obligations that they must fulfill. On the Serbian side, it is the beginning of recognition of certain documents of Serbia Kosovo, and other state symbols and identification documents, and things of this nature. For Kosovo, it is important for them to begin drafting their version of the Serb-run municipality Association. But there are many other obligations, but I think these are the most important”, Escobar said.

The loss of signatures from the parties in this deal, the senior American official, does not view it as disturbing. According to him, firms on the agreed agreement have not been key issues in Ohrid, but the approach of positions and taking over obligations.

Vice President Borrell made it very clear in his press release, that what we have is that we have a meeting of minds, we have a commitment, and now we have obligations on both sides. And both sides will be judged on their respective European streets by their compliance with what is agreed on. Thus, signing was not the issue; it was the obligation both countries took on themselves. And yet, understanding, clear understanding on both sides, what was expected and what each side would get. So there's an agreement in every respect”, followed Escobar.

Escobar said the European road to both countries is conditional on implementation of the agreement reached in Ohrid. He said the United States would be narrowed by monitoring and assisting in implementing obligations for both countries.

This is very clear, and the European path for both countries is strongly conditioned by implementing this normalisation agreement. So we'll look closely. But not only by looking closely at non-compliance; we will look closely at how we can support the process, how we can continue to encourage and engage with both countries, and how we can continue to build a fine relationship with Kosovo and an improved relationship with Serbia, and use this opportunity to create channels of co-operation between the two countries. So we will actively engage in the development of this process”, the senior American official said.

Escobar said dialogue between the two countries will continue with high-level meetings while waiting for the normalisation plan to work. According to him, the goal of the Ohrid Agreement was not mutual recognition.

“What is expected after Ohrid? Immediate implementation of what's agreed on the annex. And secondly, will there be other meetings? Well, so far meetings have been held under the auspices of the EU-brokered dialogue. That dialogue will continue. So I think there will be constant meetings between the two leaders, and we are aiming to function this normalisation plan. Now, I have to make it clear that this was the purpose of this agreement, not mutual recognition; it was about normalisation that it was about establishing a peaceful relationship between the two neighbours that have experienced a series of destabilising confrontations over the last year and a half. So our main goal was to draw up the basic rules of interaction between the two countries so that things like license plates and barricades do not threaten to get out of control, and create regional instability”, Escobar followed.

Turning to the issue of the Association of Serb majority municipalities, Esobar said that the model he knows would appear to be Kosovo, but that the same should not affect Kosovo's constitutional structure or influence the functionality of the state of Kosovo.

The “Ide what the Association of Serb majority municipalities looks like does not depend on the United States; it belongs to the people of Kosovo, in talks with Serbia. But our belief is that there must be one (an association) that serves the interests of the people of the region, which works well for both sides, which enables ethnic Serbs to participate fully in Kosovo's civic and democratic life, but also that does not violate Kosovo's constitutional structure or influence its functionality. So, within this, there are many models and there are many options. And we hope to have conversations with both sides to reach an option mutually not only acceptable but mutually attractive”, Escobar followed.

The US special envoy for the Western Balkans did not say that already after reaching the five European Union countries that do not recognise Kosovo will change their stance. He said he wished such a thing would happen soon.

“The failure to recognise from five European Union countries should be directed to them. We hope all European Union countries recognise Kosovo in the near future. It is important that Kosovo, which is part of the European family, be recognised by the rest of the European family. And I believe that one of the things that needs to happen in the region is that all Western Balkan countries know each other and have peaceful and productive relations”, Escobar said.

The American official said he had a malevolent Russian influence on the process of normalising reports between Kosovo and Serbia through media dezination, but also on the internet, even by supporting rightist extremists in Serbia, who have sometimes protested the European plan and shh balance even in the company of Putin, the Russian president who is officially wanted by the international justices of war crimes.

Well, I can't state that we have direct evidence that they have, but we know there is that Russia, through its presence on the internet, through its media detectors, has tried to contribute to extreme right opposition to this normalisation plan, and to the Euro-Atlantic path of almost all countries in the region. So, yes, there is a huge amount of malevolent Russian influence in this process”, Escobar said among other things.