Association expected to leave next prime minister behind

“The authorities' new pragmatic arrangements can provide options for successful”, he tells Radio Free Europe.

But, he adds, Kurti will not be able to avoid this issue indefinitely if he wins the upcoming elections, because the pressure of the international community will be stronger.

He expects, in the coming months, Kurti will intensify his discus against Association, “, hoping to have a positive populist election effect”.

Earlier this week, on October 21st, it was a year since representatives of the Grand Five Union, the United States, France, Germany and Italy é introduced Kosovo and Serbia's draft Serb majority municipalities' Association status status status status status status in Kosovo, and to protect their rights.

At the time, the EU said it is a modern <x0-model” for the protection of minority communities, and the document was accepted in principle by Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti, and Serbia's president, Aleksandar Vuciq.

But, Prime Minister Kurti He refused to take the first step towards the establishment of the Association, to send the draft status station to the Constitutional Court respectively, even though the international community asked him throughout the year.

Last time, such a call was made by US Assistant Secretary of State for Europe and Asia James O'Brien during his stay in Pristina on 21 October.

Free Radio Europe asked the Government of Kosovo if it is considering sending a draft status to the Constitutional Court ahead of next February 9th elections, but received no response.

Speaking to Radio Free Europe, Serbian politician Ognjen Gogic says that the Kurti Government cannot expect any steps towards establishing association before elections, but not after them, if they win his party, the Vetevendosje Movement.

As a topic for this, he recalls that, in May of this year, Kurti's Government refused to send the draft status state to the Constitutional Court, even though this was a condition for Kosovo's admission to the Council of Europe.

Kosovo, on its own, chose to remain without membership in the Council of Europe. It is not real for him to submit the draft for review now when there is nothing ahead of him”, Gogic says.

France and Germany called on Kosovo to take steps towards forming the Serb majority municipalities' association shortly after the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe adopted the recommendation that Kosovo be accepted into the organisation in April.

Kurti, however, rejected it, arguing that normalising relations with Serbia is discussed in Brussels, not Strasbourg where the Council of Europe is at headquarters.

Can you convince the West Kurt to form association?

Muhariri, professor at Pristina University, says Kurti is aware that there will be no good relations with the US and the EU without constructively addressing the subject.

According to him, he cannot permanently lose the important opportunities for Kosovo's progress towards European integration.

“in this context, the main obligation of the future prime minister of Kosovo will be to work on a detailed plan, based on reality, on major international progress in Kosovo, and on the best chance of acceptance by all actors. Everything else means continuing the status quo negative”, says Mujadir.

Gogic from Belgrade recalls that Kurti constantly conditions formation of association with the implementation of other agreements, which have been reached within the dialogue for normalising relations with Serbia, and says he would take concrete steps only if Serbia would accept recognition of Kosovo's independence de jure or de facto.

The <x0).Authorities in Pristina reject association as such, but are willing to consider it in exchange for some kind of recognition from Serbia, which Serbia is not willing to offer”, Gogic says.

How important is Association for the West?

Gogic believes that even after parliamentary elections, Kosovo will continue to avoid forcing the formation of association, because, as he says, Western states are not interested in setting Kosovo more serious conditions on the issue.

According to him, Western countries support forming association, but not at all costs.

However, he adds, in the last period, there is greater interest in reaching a final agreement on normalising relations between Kosovo and Serbia, and that association is an inevitable pillar of this process.

It is clear that Prime Minister Kurti does not yet have a creative solution to overcome the huge gap between the absolute rejection of the Association while he was in opposition and pressure hard for his acceptance now that he is in power”, Muhramir says.

The ambassador of Great Britain to Kosovo, Jonathan Hargreaves, said in an interview for Kosovo television, Klan Kosova, on October 22nd, that sending the draft Association station to the Constitutional Court would enable Kosovo's progress towards membership in the Council of Europe.

In early October, German Ambassador to Kosovo Jorn Rohde said Kosovo is not required to make the final decision on forming association, but that to ensure support for European Council membership, it is sufficient to submit the draft status to the Constitutional Court for review.

The director of the Office for Kosovo in Serbia's Government, Petar Petkov, said such a statement makes dialogue and agreements reached in Brussels meaningless.

Senior officials in Serbia described the association as “mechanism alone for the survival of the Serb people in Kosovo”.

Kosovo and Serbia agreed on its formation in 2013, while in 2015 they agreed on principles on which it would have to be established.

Kosovo's Constitutional Court found the same year that these principles are not fully in line with Kosovo laws, but that they can be harmonised.

Meanwhile, last year Kosovo and Serbia accepted the Agreement towards normalisation of relations, one of the points in which it requires that the Serb community in Kosovo be offered a certain level of self-admission, respectively. /REL