French Ambassador to Kosovo, Olivier Guerot, has stated that Kosovo’s journey towards NATO and the European Union is contingent upon the establishment of the Association of Serb-majority Municipalities.
Guerot emphasized that the Association has been part of agreements since 2013 and was reaffirmed in the Ohri Agreement. According to him, its establishment would be a tangible demonstration of Kosovo’s commitment to its international obligations.
“The Elephant in the Room”: Testing the Statute
“We don’t need to reinvent the wheel. There’s what’s known as ‘the elephant in the room,’ and that’s this Association that’s somewhat neglected,” Guerot told RTK. “The path to NATO and the EU will lead through the establishment of this Association. It would be misleading to pretend this fact can be ignored. The Association is part of agreements from 2013 onwards and was subsequently reiterated or mentioned in the Ohri Agreement. It absolutely must be established, and it will be a very concrete sign of Kosovo’s will to fulfill its own commitments. The EU has made an effort to draft a statute that’s consistent with the Constitution, and if anyone can say whether it’s in compliance with the Constitution or not, it’s the Constitutional Court. So, our suggestion has been: test this statute.”
German Ambassador Jorn Rohde echoed this sentiment, stating that the Association has been an obligation for Kosovo since 2013. He stressed that previous prime ministers haven’t done enough to resolve the issue.
“We’ve seen several attempts to put proposals on the table. We now have a European proposal supported by 27 member states. Our only challenge is to move forward. Simply send it to the Constitutional Court; if it’s inconsistent with the Constitution, that has nothing to do with Serbia—it’s Kosovo’s Constitutional Court that will deal with it. But there’s inaction, and inaction has consequences that are by no means positive,” Rohde underscored.
Ambassadors Downplay Trump’s Remarks, Affirm Shared Responsibility
Both ambassadors declined to comment on President Donald Trump’s statement that he had prevented a conflict between Kosovo and Serbia during his term. “I’ve seen Trump’s statement; I’m not in a position to comment,” Guerot said. Rohde added, “I can’t comment on tweets. The new American administration has often said that Europeans should solve their own problems—I believe this applies to issues like the one between Kosovo and Serbia.”
The ambassadors also denied that the pressure for this process falls solely on Kosovo. “No, it’s not solely on Kosovo; it’s also on Kosovo,” Guerot clarified.
