7 minutes agoHavenier: I would not advise Sorensen to negotiate new pledges, neither Kosovo nor Serbia took obligations seriously
Periskopi(a year ago)
(a year ago)Former US Ambassador to Kosovo Jeff Hovenier has said that the association has not been taken as Kosovo's duty and that it has been there since 2013, but that it was repeated in the Ohrid Agreement. Hovenier says that if he gave advice to the new European Union emissary Peter Sorensen, it would be that [...]
Former US Ambassador to Kosovo Jeff Hovenier has said that the association has not been taken as Kosovo's duty and that it has been there since 2013, but that it was repeated in the Ohrid Agreement.
Hovenier says that if he gave advice to the new European Union emissary, Peter Sorensen, it would be not to negotiate new pledges, but to fulfil these old ones, the Express newspaper reports.
Kosovo's “Republic made a pledge in 2013. That vow has not been taken away, and that vow remains. There are also pledges that Serbia has made, things it has to do, which also needs to be implemented. This commitment to association was strongly repeated in the context of the 2023 Basic Agreement and its Implementation Annex. And I personally believe that if I gave Peter Sorensen and the European Union advice, I think the best way to move forward is not to negotiate new pledges now, because what was achieved in 1923 is a very impressive package. He just completely misses out. Neither Kosovo nor Serbia have taken commitments to implementing commitments seriously”, said Havenier at Atlantic Council.
Hovenier said that if this moves forward it will change the dynamic and benefit both Kosovo and Serbia.
Also, the US diplomat says Kosovo is stuck in the way it fulfils its obligations to minorities, while he confirmed that American support for independent Kosovo was for a multiethnic country with special protection of minorities, particularly the Serb minority.
The “Aty we are stuck to has been several times on very difficult sensitive issues on how to best fulfill the promises made, and the country's vision at the time [when declaring] independence on the basis of our support for independence, which was for a multiethnic country and in which there would be some special protection for non-communal communities, especially the Serb community, given the complex and difficult” history.
Hovnier reiterated what he had said several times and how much he was in office in Pristina that the way this Kosovo obligation should be fulfilled should be in line with its law and Constitution.
“So we got stuck on some of the issues on how to better implement constitutional protections for minority communities. We were caught up in issues about how Serbia can best exercise the right under Ahtisaari to give support to the Serb community in Kosovo, but in a way that is in accordance with Kosovo law and Constitution”.
