Szunyog repeats: The bill must be sent to Constitutional à Osmani, Kurti, and Konjufca have promised the foundation of Association

The chief of the European Union Office in Kosovo, Thomas Szunyog, has said that establishing the Association of Serb majority municipalities is an international and legal obligation of Kosovo, which the country agreed on in 2013 and that it has been ratified by the Constitutional majority Assembly of Kosovo.

He has stated in Online Economy that the EU has proposed the draft for Association, which Prime Minister Albin Kurti said was willing to sign and accept in October of last year.

Szunyog has stressed that this draft respects the red lines of both sides and that the draft should be sent to the Constitutional Court.

“E, again, the Association of Serb majority municipalities is the duty of Kosovo, which is not new. It has already been agreed on in 2013. Word comes, this agreement has also been ratified by the Assembly of Kosovo with constitutional majority. So from this perspective, it is Kosovo's international duty, but it is a local legal duty to establish association. We have proposed as the European Union, we have proposed a draft. My understanding is that Prime Minister Kurti was actually willing to accept this draft and sign last October. So from this point of view, we believe this is a good draft, respecting the red lines of both sides. And we believe that it should be taken and sent to the Constitutional Court in such a way that it is acceptable and the Constitutional Court can decide on that”, he said.

EU Ambassador to Kosovo has said that the three heads of state -- President Vjosa Osmani, Prime Minister Albin Kurti and Chief Prime Minister Glauk Konjufca -- have pledged the establishment of association in the joint letter signed by the Council of Europe.

He has said that association should be established and that the sooner this is done, according to him, the better it will be for Kosovo's progress on the way to becoming an EU member.

But again, this is just the first step in the process of establishing association. And again, my understanding is that in this joint letter signed by the president, prime minister and Speaker of the Parliament, sent to the Council of Europe last May, the three constitutional leaders of Kosovo actually promised the establishment of association. So I think that's something to do. The sooner this is done, the better for Kosovo's progress on the way to becoming an EU member”, he has said.

Szunyog questioned about three conditions set by Prime Minister Albin Kurti at the latest meeting of dialogue in Brussels, has said that with many meetings and discussions concerning the implementation of agreements are really important for Kosovo.

He has added that the agreement agreed on in Brussels is clearly an agreement based on international law.

So, from this perspective, I think there is a clear interest in Kosovo, but also, of course, a clear interest of Serbia to have real interest, to achieve full normalisation, which means, first of all, implementation of the agreement by February 2023, but also all previous agreements. And this is something to do as soon as possible. So, from my point of view, more meetings, more discussions and more agreements are really important for Kosovo”.

Well, I think for me, if I look at this agreement from the standpoint of international law, it's clearly an agreement based on international law. It's also in preambles. So, for me, it's very clear. Well, I would say that, of course, dialogue and progress in dialogue and the full normalisation of relations between Kosovo and Serbia is the main precondition for Kosovo's further progress on the path to full membership in the European Union”, he has said.