Serbia has once again publicly pledged to continue violating the Ohrid Agreement, announcing “many surprises” in its campaign for the derecognition of Kosovo’s independence. Its foreign minister echoed these “plans” alongside self-praise for alleged results in this effort. The European Union, which mediated this deal, refused to comment on Serbia’s open bragging about breaching the agreement.
Serbia’s Foreign Minister, Marko Gjurić, declared yesterday that Belgrade is preparing “to change the stance of part of the international community towards the situation in Kosovo,” adding that they have not neglected the issue of Kosovo’s international recognition.
“For Serbia, Kosovo’s membership in the United Nations is absolutely unacceptable, and President Vučić has said this many times. And I repeat it officially today… you know that the statements of a Foreign Minister carry binding character even in international law, therefore, for Serbia, Kosovo’s membership in the United Nations is absolutely unacceptable,” Gjurić insisted.
He further claimed that President Vučić will address this issue next week at the United Nations.
These declarations openly violate Article 4 of the Ohrid Agreement, under which Serbia committed “not to oppose Kosovo’s membership in any international organization.” Asked by Gazeta Express about Serbia’s threats, the EU’s mediator responded briefly: “We do not comment on statements.”
In an interview for Vojvodina Radio Television, Gjurić also tried to take partial credit for the suspension of the strategic dialogue between the U.S. and Kosovo — a measure imposed by Washington due to the actions of Albin Kurti’s caretaker government.
“We have reached a situation where some countries that strongly supported the so-called independence of Kosovo are now clearly and loudly speaking against what Kurti’s regime is doing, and not just through social media posts. That is why I believe the decision of the new U.S. administration to suspend, until further notice, any strategic dialogue with the so-called institutions of Kosovo is very important, because it has direct implications for the political scene in Pristina ahead of local elections,” Gjurić said.
Seeking to impress a local audience, Gjurić admitted that President Vučić had publicly rejected Article 4 of the Ohrid Agreement right after the meeting, despite having formally accepted it during negotiations.
Serbia has consistently violated the Ohrid Agreement, while the EU continues to call on both parties to fully implement it.
Kosovo and Serbia agreed in the Ohrid framework that “any failure to fulfill obligations from the Agreement, this Annex, or past dialogue agreements may have direct negative consequences for their respective EU accession processes and the financial assistance they receive from the EU.”
