Foreign policy chief in Ukraine's Parliament signs for independent Kosovo, letter appears at Kyiv Post

Kosovo is a sovereign state and functional democracy”, said in a joint letter to the heads of US foreign policy committees Germany, the United Kingdom, and Ukraine has attended. It has signed the head of the Commission for Foreign Affairs in the Ukraine Parliament, Oleksandr Merezhko. A surprise, as Ukraine still does not recognise Kosovo's independence.

Key Post, the oldest Ukrainian English-language newspaper, has published the letter fully with the title “Common Declaration for Kosovo”.

By TagespiegelThe letter was signed by the heads of the Bundestag Foreign Policy Committees, Michael Roth (SPD) and the US Senate, Bob Menandez, but also the heads of foreign affairs committees of the British House of the Czech Republic, Ukraine, Ireland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

In the letter sent to senior US and EU representatives, concern over the current Western policy is expressed in relation to Kosovo-Serbia relations, seeking review.

Seeking stronger access to Serbian President Aleksandar Vuciq, they remind the US, the United Kingdom's EU that “Kosovo is a sovereign country and a functional democracy”.

“This fact should be the basis of our common policy on the current crisis”, said in addition in this letter.

Full letter published by Kyiv Post:

Miroslav Lajčák
Special Representative to the Western Balkans
European Union

Gabriel Escobar
Special Representative for the Western Balkans
United States State Department

Mr. Peach GBE KCB DL
Special Envoy for the Western Balkans
The Chamber of Lords

Excellent.

We write to raise our concerns about current EU, US and United Kingdom policy towards Serbia-Kosovo relations. We believe that recent events and crises have highlighted shortcomings in our collective approach and would require that it be reviewed.

While our focus should remain on normalising relations and the ongoing Euro-Atlantic road for both Serbia and Kosovo, the recent riots require that all sides be refocused to de escalation and prevention.

Kosovo Serbs' municipal election Boyot on April 23rd, the subsequent attack on KFOR soldiers on May 29th, and the arbitrary ban by Kosovo police from Serbian authorities on 14 June all point to a rapid deterioration of the situation, which not only threatens the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, but regional peace itself. Recent findings of weapons depots in northern Kosovo and reports of continued arms smuggling across the Serbia-Kosovo border highlight the risks of further escalation.

Kosovo is a sovereign state and a functional democracy. That fact should form the basis for our collective policy on the current crisis. Efforts to undermine democratic elections in Kosovo from Serbia must be publicly criticised as foreign intervention with tangible measures implemented to hold those responsible if they continue to undermine free and fair elections. This will help facilitate future elections with full participation by all communities present in northern municipalities. We need to exercise preventive diplomacy if the current crisis should be resolved, the EU-launched dialogue must yield positive results and implementation of the Ohrid Agreement should be respected.

We demand that balance and proportionality be restored in relations with Kosovo and Serbia.

Kosovo has faced significant consequences following efforts by mayors to enter their offices in northern Kosovo. Kosovo must co-ordinate with KFOR in the future to prevent escalation. But the lack of pressure exerted on Serbia following the arbitrary ban of three Kosovo police officers and failure to hold responsibility for attacks on KFOR highlights the current lack of impartiality in addressing such lighting points.

We stress the latest sanction by the US government of Aleksandar Vulin, head of the Serbian Security and Information Agency (BIA).

The actual approach doesn't work. We will demand that the international community learn from our past and ensure that we do not adopt a policy with Belgrade in the centre of the Balkans. We also demand that you consider adopting a policy of preventive diplomacy to prevent further deterioration of the security and political situation in northern Kosovo, balanced and proportional, leading any declaration and any punishment or issued sanctions and that those who support rule of law and democracy are not reproved.