Swedish Ambassador: I understand concern for association, but references to Republika Srpska are unfair

Sweden's Ambassador to Kosovo, Jonas Westerlund, in an interview for Online Economy, has said he understands Kosovo's concern about establishing the Association of Serb majority municipalities, but that he sees no danger to the functioning of the state.

Westerlund has said Sweden, like other EU and US countries, recommends that Kosovo establish this facility.

According to him, comparison with Republika Srpska in Bosnia and Herzegovina is unfair because Kosovo's context is completely different, and so is the percentage of minorities.

I understand concern for association. I'm quite old, and I remember when I participated in creating a similar association in Croatia when I worked for the United Nations in 1996 /1998. We had established a similar facility for Croatian Serbs. This facility has not threatened the Croatian state in any way, so I think it has a success story”.

I think the reference for Republika Srpska in Bosnia is slightly unfair because it is a completely different context. So I respect fear, or rather worries, but I think it can be done in a quiet way. I can only underline and support other EU and US member states, saying we recommend that the government create an association”.

I do not share the concern or reference made to Republika Srpska. This is another context. We have a much smaller number of minorities in this country compared to the ethnic composition in Bosnia. So for me this is unbashed”, Swedish ambassador said.

While for the recent Kosovo Police action in financial offices in the north, Westerlund has said this issue should be addressed in the facilitated dialogue by the European Union, between two neighbouring states, Kosovo and Serbia.

He has said Sweden recognises Kosovo's legitimacy to take any action on its territory, but that more co-ordination is needed with international allies if Kosovo intends to be part of Euro-Atlantic structures.

I think that all of us have said, as an international community and member states of the European Union, that this should be addressed in the EU-launched dialogue. Sweden has recognised Kosovo in 2008. In fact, we were among the first to recognise Kosovo and it has all the legitimate reasons for making decisions within its borders. But if it wants to become a member of Euro-Atlantic structures, it should work harder with the international community. You need to work closely with European members on all kinds of issues, including this matter”, he said.

On the other hand, the Swedish ambassador has said that Kosovo's EU and NATO membership could take time, which, according to him, is very natural.

He has also mentioned Sweden's case, which also took several years to become part of the EU and which joined NATO this year.

Kosovo is gradually approaching Euro-Atlantic structures. Sweden was not a member of the European Union if you returned 30 years ago. We became members only after the end of the Cold War in the 1990s. It took us several years to also become a member of the European Union. We just became NATO members this year. Well, it takes time to become a member of NATO and new Atlantic structures, but I think Kosovo is on its way”.

Westerlund told EO that Sweden fully supports Kosovo's membership in all Euro-Atlantic structures.

We fully support Kosovo's membership in all new Atlantic structures. The future is the thorny road. There are many criteria, especially when you want to become a member of the European Union, but it is a good step that Kosovo has become an observer, an associate member of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly that is a small step, but it is an important step to become a member in the future”.

While on the issue of Kosovo's membership in the Council of Europe, he has said that failure to vote on the ministerial committee on May 16th and 17th was a lost opportunity and that he hopes it will return to the agenda as soon as possible.

“was a missed opportunity we did not have a vote at the meeting of the Council of Europe ministerial committee on 16 May and 17 May. We need to get back to this issue as soon as possible and then try to try again for membership in the Council of Europe. ”

“Every European capital can have its own criteria if they want to support Kosovo during the vote on the Council of Europe ministerial committee. But my opinion is there should be a vote. There was no vote at all, at least it should have been voted on because the Council of Europe is ultimately a democratic organisation. So I think this issue should soon be addressed again at the Council of Europe”, he said. / EO/