Stano: EU does not participate in impeaching guilt between Serbia and Kosovo, parties to meet obligations

He has reiterated that without progress in dialogue on normalising relations, neither Serbia nor Kosovo can advance towards the European Union.

In the latest round of dialogue at the highest level in Brussels, there has been no meeting between Serbian President Aleksandar Vuciq and Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti, and according to the EU, Josep Borrell, Kosovo was not ready for this meeting. While, Vuciq has said Kurti has demanded that Serbia recognise Kosovo”.

Responding to a question about Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani's statement that Serbia is not implementing its part of the agreement by not recognising Kosovo's independence and that Pristina is seeking international guarantees to meet its obligations, Stano says “The EU is mediator and does not deal with recognition of independence”.

Stano told the Voice of America that both sides have obligations and that in March 2023 they've learned in Ohrid how to apply them, but that's not happening.

“We don't participate in blaming, this is very contradictory and counterproductive. One side constantly blames the other and vice versa. Everyone must see what their task is and fulfill it. Both sides have a lot to meet”, says the EU spokesman, broadcast Telegrafi.

For example, Kosovo is the urgent priority of establishing the Association of Serb-run municipalities. It is a must taken by Kosovo long ago that it is not fulfilling it despite calls from the EU, American partners and others. Even Serbia must begin to meet its obligations, Serbian parties still have deficits when it comes to issues that come out of the agreement. The question is that both sides, instead of blaming each other and opening new issues, should focus on implementing what they agreed on in Ohrid in March 2023”, Stano says.

Since dialogue between Serbia and Kosovo in Brussels has stalled for a long time, the question is how to move forward if neither side is going to meet what the other side requires of recognition of independence or forming association.

Stano recalls that both sides have agreed to their European integration be linked to dialogue.

Serbia and Kosovo have declared European integration a strategic priority. They were also tasked with linking dialogue to normalising relations with progress on the road to EU accession. If there is no progress in dialogue, there is no progress in EU membership, it is very simple. We are mediators and help them reach a consensus, but in the end, both sides must reach an agreement, reach a compromise, normalise relations, because only then will they be able to move forward and draw close to the EU”, the EU spokesman concluded.

In March 2023, Serbia and Kosovo reached the Ohrid Agreement, which stipulates implementation of the European proposal for normalisation of relations. Obligations from those documents have not been implemented, as well as Kosovo's obligation to establish the Association of Serb Majority municipalities, which was defined with the Brussels Agreement in 2013.

Meanwhile, tensions on the ground are escalating and culminated in an armed attack by Serbs on Kosovo police in Banjska in September 2023, where four people [a member of the Kosovo Police and three Serbs from the terrorist group] were killed. Organisers of that attack were not brought to justice, while responsibility for the attack was taken by Serbian businessman Milan Radojic, former vice president of the Serbian List, Kosovo Serb political party close to official Belgrade.