The new EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Kaja Kallas, held separate meetings with the leaders of Kosovo and Serbia, discussing the dialogue for normalizing relations between the two countries, the recent attack in Banjska, and the explosion in the Ibër-Lepenc canal in Zubin Potok.
After the meeting, Kosovo’s Prime Minister, Albin Kurti, expressed that Kallas is the right person in the right position. He further stated that changes are needed in Belgrade for him to reconsider his stance on continuing the dialogue.
“I have not changed my position because Serbia has not changed. It is not expected that changes will be made in Brussels, but they need to happen in Belgrade regarding the approach to Kosovo, so that I may reconsider my stance on continuing the dialogue. And once again, I emphasize that the Basic Agreement must always be mentioned when talking about dialogue, but Serbia is violating it. The former European Commission did not act appropriately when we had violations, and there was neither trust nor goodwill for the implementation of the agreement, which they have accepted. Belgrade cannot say that it has not accepted the agreement, but now they want to sabotage its implementation,” said Kurti.
Complete statement by Prime Minister Kurti after the meeting with EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas:
Question: Mr. Prime Minister, was this your first meeting with Ms. Kallas in her role as the new head of European diplomacy? Can you tell us what were the main topics of discussion?
Prime Minister Kurti: I publicly thank Ms. Kallas for the hospitality today, and I wish her success in her new role. Among the leaders that Europe has today, I believe Ms. Kallas is in the right place at the right time. We have great hopes that the Republic of Kosovo and the Western Balkans region will greatly benefit from European democratic values, economic and financial support, and peace and security in general.
With Ms. Kallas, we discussed Kosovo’s progress regarding European integration, as well as our relations with our northern neighbor, Serbia. On the first issue, I emphasized the unprecedented economic growth and democratic progress we’ve had in independent Kosovo. At the same time, we have managed the most serious security challenges, including the tragic murder of our police officer Afrim Bunjaku. The main criminal behind this, Milan Radočić, is still free and supported by Serbia. In every meeting, we call for his extradition to Kosovo’s authorities, as the prosecution has an indictment of 160 pages for him and his group of over forty people.
On the other hand, we insisted that when discussing the dialogue, it should always be mentioned alongside the Basic Agreement. We have an agreement with Serbia, which also has an Implementation Annex from Ohrid. The Basic Agreement is an important achievement, and it must be respected and implemented, with the guarantee being its signature.
We also discussed the recent attack against us, the explosion in the Ibër-Lepenc canal in Zubin Potok. This explosion endangered more than half of the country’s population, threatening their access to water and electricity. Our state institutions acted professionally, and we managed to mitigate the damage, but we need to take additional measures to prevent such incidents from happening again.
An investigation is ongoing, and arrests have been made, with materials seized, including weapons and ammunition. Notably, out of the 74 emblems/distinctive marks seized, twenty were Russian, from various Russian units, and the rest were mostly Serbian. There was also an emblem of the KLA, which makes us think that someone wanted to steer the investigation in the wrong direction or, as NATO calls it, a “false flag operation,” because there is no other explanation for the KLA emblem found among the Russian ones.
We seek international support to help us in this regard. Kosovo has no doubt about its integration into the European Union and NATO; there is no alternative, and we want to expedite this process.
We will also have dinner with President Antonio Costa and other leaders from the Balkans. It is very encouraging that Ms. Kallas, as the new Vice-President of the European Commission and responsible for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, has immediately shown interest in the Western Balkans issue and in normalizing relations between Kosovo and Serbia, which should happen under the Basic Agreement, with at least de facto recognition at its core.
Question: Did Ms. Kallas share her ideas on how she envisions the continuation of the dialogue process?
Prime Minister Kurti: Today’s meeting seemed more like an opportunity for her to listen to us, and she will also listen to others in the region. There is no doubt that in the coming year, she will intensify the process for peace, security, integration, and development, working with her team. It is hard to say what form or content this will take at the moment, but this meeting was an informative one for her in her new role, at a time when she wants to show her commitment to the Western Balkans early on, which is a good sign and hopeful for our country and the entire region. Kosovo has high expectations from Ms. Kallas, but also from the leaders who are democratic and peace-loving.
Question: The European Union has labeled the attacks on Kosovo as terrorist attacks twice in the past year, and the most recent one was described as an act of sabotage. Given that structures have changed and the previous structure lacked the political will to move forward with potential consequences for Serbia, what is the current stance under the new EU foreign policy official?
Prime Minister Kurti: This depends greatly on the dynamics of the 27 member states, but what I hope for is that the European Commission in this second term under President Ursula von der Leyen will look more like the European Parliament than the European Council, where, as we have seen, one or two countries can veto and stop progress for everyone else. Consensus as a value should not be seen as a right to veto but as an approach and stance to ensure no one is left behind. Therefore, I hope and believe that the European Commission under this second term will lead rather than manage, and this way, it will advance the whole continent, which we are a part of.
Clearly, we cannot change geography or history, but we can and must change the future for the better, and this requires strong leadership from Brussels, for which the people of Kosovo are both grateful and contributing.
Question: In June, you set some preconditions for meeting with your Serbian counterpart as part of the dialogue. Do you now have the disposition to bypass these conditions since the dialogue process is now led by someone else?
Prime Minister Kurti: I have requested that Milan Radočić be handed over to Kosovo, and that the letter from former Prime Minister, now Speaker of Parliament, Ana Brnabić, be withdrawn, where she effectively states that she does not recognize Kosovo’s territorial integrity. I have not changed my position because Serbia has not changed. It is not expected that changes will happen in Brussels; they must happen in Belgrade in their approach to Kosovo so that I may reconsider my stance on continuing the dialogue, which, once again, I must emphasize, should never be mentioned without mentioning the Basic Agreement, but Serbia is violating it. The former European Commission did not take the necessary action when violations occurred, and there was neither trust nor goodwill for implementing the agreement, which they had accepted. Belgrade cannot claim that it did not accept the agreement, but now they seek to sabotage its implementation.
