Rama: Nobody should underestimate risk of escalation of situation in northern Kosovo

He made these comments at a conference with journalists together with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, at the end of his visits to the five Western Balkan countries, under preparations for the upcoming Berlin Process meeting, expected in October in Tirana.

His visits to the region coincide with a period of tensions in Kosovo -- Serbia, which grew up late May -- when Albanian mayors of Kosovo's northern municipalities took office with police support following April's local elections, which were boycotted by Serbs.

Western diplomacy calls for lowering tensions through a European plan that envisions suspending police operations in the north, shifting mayors to alternative offices, and announcing early elections with unconditional participation of Kosovo Serbs.

Prime Minister Rama said the parties must meet Western requirements to avoid worsening the situation that could lead to the creation of a situation comparable to “Donbasin), referring to Russia's territory occupied in Ukraine.

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti has indicated in favour of holding new elections and reducing the presence of special police units in the north, along with the establishment of rule of law.

While the Serbian president said on Friday that “anyone who is normal does not rejoice at national Istikams or the possibility of conflicts”, while underlining that he has memorized the European plan for reducing tensions, but Serbia cannot meet alone. He stressed that the unfulfilled issue is “the simultaneous withdrawal of mayors and people located around the municipal buildings”, referring to Serb protesters.

Prime Minister Rama said it is wrong to insist that Albanian mayors in the north stay in municipal buildings, as is the strategic “strategic error” dragging down the establishment of the majority Serb municipalities in Kosovo, which is the most difficult point of talks.

Prime Minister Rama presented a statute of Association draft in early June, which he said was handed over to French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who he called “accounts of the agreement between Serbia and Kosovo”, referring to the plan the two sides agreed to in Brussels and then to Ohrid.

But the Serbian president said that the draft statute “is responsible for the draft are not divine, neither France nor Germany, nor anyone else, but the Serbian managing team, in line with Brussels' first agreement and all that have been reached until August 2015”.

The establishment of the Association is part of the Ohrid Agreement for normalising Kosovo relations, Serbia, which failed to ease tensions between the sides.

Prime Minister Rama's visit to Belgrade followed visits to Podgorica and Sarajevo, while the day before, he visited Skopje and Pristina.

In Pristina, he was not welcomed by Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti, who said the meeting with him would only be held under the two governments' collection, thus expressing his anger at Mr. Rama's decision to cancel a joint meeting of governments on June 14th in Gjakova due to tensions in northern Kosovo. / VOA