Kurti, telephone conversation with Escobar/ The key point of the discussion is revealed

2023-09-12 10:02:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Kurti, telephone conversation with Escobar/ The key point of the discussion is

Escobar and Albin Kurti

The Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, said that he talked with Washington's envoy for the Western Balkans, Gabriel Escobar, regarding the new round of dialogue for the normalization of relations with Serbia.

According to Kurti's Office, the Kosovar Prime Minister talked with the American emissary "about the importance of the rapid and complete implementation of the Basic Agreement and its Annex".

"Prime Minister Kurti expressed his willingness to be actively engaged in Thursday's high-level political meeting in Brussels, as he thanked the United States of America for its continued assistance and support for Kosovo," the announcement said.

On September 14, under the mediation of the European Union, a new round of high-level dialogue will be held in Brussels.

This will be the first meeting between Kurt and the president of Serbia, Aleksandar Vu?i?, since the tensions in the north of Kosovo increased at the end of May.

The last meeting between the bearers of the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia took place on May 2, nine days after the extraordinary elections in the north of Kosovo, which have been boycotted by the local Serbian population.

The new Albanian presidents who emerged from these elections are being opposed by the local Serbs. Their entry into the municipal buildings at the end of May increased the tensions which escalated violently on May 29 in Zveçan, after the clash of Serbian protesters with members of the KFOR peacekeeping mission.

The EU and the United States have repeatedly asked Kosovo and Serbia to reduce tensions. Prishtina has been asked to enable the holding of new elections, while Belgrade has been asked to encourage Serbs to participate in the voting.

Finally, Kosovo has presented an administrative instruction that allows citizens to remove mayors through a petition.

Kosovo is also asking for the implementation of the Agreement towards normalization that it reached with Serbia in February in Brussels. In March, in Ohrid, the parties reached an agreement on the Annex for its implementation.

The 11 articles of the agreement do not include the mutual recognition that Kosovo insists on, but require Kosovo and Serbia to accept each other's documents and symbols, including: passports, diplomas and license plates.

Kosovo and Serbia have been holding talks since 2011. Kosovo demands that at the end of the process an agreement be reached that would include mutual recognition, while Serbia wants a compromise solution, without indicating what kind of compromise it is./ Rel