Pristina, November 23, 2022
Dear citizens,
Dear members of the government cabinet,
Today we have before us a very important meeting of the Government. Among other things, we have two draft laws on the agenda which are very necessary. After a long and careful work, we are bringing for approval the Draft Law on Public Officials and the Draft Law on Salaries on Public Sector. The first puts the public official in center and makes the administration accessible to everyone, inside and outside the system, including members of diaspora. Meanwhile, the second, for the first time, creates a unified salary system and brings equality in salary to employees in the public sector. Indispensable to each other, these two draft laws are necessary for the reform in public administration. And this reform is an essential part of Government’s program, because it is a necessity for the state and our society. Together with the Minister of Internal Affairs, we will talk more about them at the press conference after the meeting.
Dear Ministers and Deputy Ministers,
Dear Deputy Prime Ministers,
Last Friday I was invited by the High Representative for Foreign Policy and the vice president of the European Commission, Mr. Josep Borrell, for a high-level meeting organized at the European Union Headquarters in Brussels with the President of Serbia. High Representative Borrell’s invitation was accompanied by a four-paragraph text intended to be issued as a statement at the end.
In the first paragraph, there was an invitation to concentrate, urgently, on the “European Union Proposal”, supported by Germany and France, for the normalization of relations.
In the third paragraph, the text called for talks on “European Union Proposal” to begin immediately, at a high level to reach an agreement before March 2023.
Of course, I have welcomed this proposal of Mr. Borrel and we had already declared that “Franco-German Proposal”, which Mr. Borrel insisted at the meeting in Paris on November 11, that from now on we should call it the “Proposal of the European Union”. provides a good basis for discussion.
In the second paragraph, there was the issue of license plates together with the issue of guarantees for the Serbian community, which would be discussed in the “Proposal of the European Union”, i.e. in the agreement on normalization, and during eight hours we held six meetings, three bilateral meetings and three trilateral.
The precondition for license plates had to do only with the suspension of the actions of the Government of Kosovo and not with the ban on the issuance of license plates by Serbia, in the initial version. We agreed that, in order to give space to the talks on “Proposal of the European Union”, we would suspend the second phase of decision on license plates, but of course when Serbia stops registering cars with illegal license plates, because it makes no sense not to continue the second phase, to go from remarks and reprimands to fines, not to execute the fines, and on the other hand to continue to issue license plates KM, PR, GL, PE, UR, and so on. This proposal was accepted and I believe it was an important achievement of the meeting.
Let me say that Serbian community in Kosovo is the most protected and privileged community in the Constitution of the Republic and this is the result of the comprehensive agreement of the former Finnish president, Martti Ahtisarin, who was the leader of international mediation team. The rights for minorities in the Constitution of Kosovo are not found in that of Serbia, but we also do not find them in many, many other countries around the world, including constitutions of the most advanced countries of the European Union.
Now after the meeting we had there, which lasted eight hours in total, the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign and Security Policy, unfortunately changed the premise of Monday’s negotiation; contrary to the principle proposed by himself, he began to insist on an agreement that addresses only measures of good faith, the suspension of fines for license plates. The big goal was removed from the agenda. The urgent need for the European proposal with Franco-German support; disappeared from the table to suit the purpose of Serbia, whose president had come to Brussels not for the “Proposal of the European Union”, but for license plates.
On August 18, in the meeting we had, there were two points on the agenda. The first point is the general framework of the agreement; second point is current affairs. I also supported this meeting structure, because the state leaders are called to make big and final agreement. Yes, I repeat, I am neither a policeman, nor a station commander, nor a head of the cadastre, nor a customs officer, to deal with all kinds of technical issues that arise during the talks. We are a country with relevant institutions and bodies, which have many skilled professionals, who conduct these kinds of talks. I go there for the final internationally legally binding agreement, for the full normalization of relations, with mutual recognition at the center. That should be the goal and that’s the meaning.
Meanwhile, the authors of the “Proposal of the European Union” abandoned their proposal, which is why the meeting ended. As in the meeting on August 18, I was the last to leave the building of the European Union in this meeting as well. Because there is always the possibility of a last attempt and I have to inform you that it was also the last attempt. The special emissary Lajçak came to the room where our delegation was and made one last attempt for a text, which would also include the proposal of the European Union. However, he later informed us that the President of Serbia did not accept this. Meanwhile, the High Representative of the European Union was already at the press conference.
So, we have the goal, attitude, reasons and arguments to reach a legally binding agreement, but this should also be the goal of the mediators.
Our decision on license plates cannot be subject to negotiation, it is the decision of our Government.
What we have shown is our generosity, to give a chance not only to legality and constitutionality, but also to concerns of those about the possibility of violating peace and security, differentiating the approach and sequencing the implementation.
The first three weeks of reprimands, remarks. We are approaching the number of 2000 reprimands and remarks, no incidents, no complaints. And two months then fine. Not confiscation of license plates, but fines, because the law also provides for this. So we do not negotiate the decision. We have shown our generosity regarding the way and time of implementation.
And, the question arises, why we brought this decision, first with the date of June 28. This has happened since six months were negotiated for license plates in Brussels, from September of last year to April of this year, six months and days were negotiated for license plates in Brussels and in the end there were eight options. There were eight options, of these eight options, I am now telling you between us, three were more suitable for us, five were not, but Serbia has not accepted any of them. It has rejected all eight options.
We prayed that it would not come to those five, maybe it comes to these three, but none was done, because they rejected all of them and we did not make the decision in April, when they rejected the eight options, we did not make it even in May, we got it at the end of June.
Our decision comes two months after the failure of six-month negotiations due to the fault of Serbia, which has rejected all eight options on the table for license plates.
So, you understand the generosity of the Government of Kosovo throughout this year, but also last year.
We do not enjoy fining. Not even a policeman of the Republic of Kosovo is happy when he fines. Fine is not a wish, it is a duty. Not the desire of the individual, whether he is a state official, but an obligation and duty according to the law of our state.
In the same way, as these are matters of rule of law in our country, resignations and returns of public and state officials cannot be matters of bargaining, because they are all regulated by law. You saw that deputies of the Serbian List left the institutions of the Republic of Kosovo and others of them returned and took the oath. This is how you return to institutions, taking the oath, respecting the Constitution, constitutionality, law, legality, rules, procedures.
So, we are not a dictatorial state that decides who goes when and who comes back. Our country has a Constitution, law, procedures, bodies, institutions, which enable that.
The high-level meeting should be about high goals and I naturally expect that to continue. Today in Brussels is Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration, Dialogue and Development, Besnik Bislimi. Maybe there will be another meeting to try to reach an agreement within these 48 hours. We have both the will and the good intention and constant readiness.
I’ve said it dozens of times that Europe is our continent and European Union is our destiny. Half of our nation lives in European Union countries. European Union Integration is not only a union in the European family, but also a union of our families.
We have neither hatred nor anger. We don’t act, we don’t speak, we don’t think and we don’t behave with cynicism or irony, but with truth and in our right.
We are the most democratic country in Western Balkans, which embraces and promotes the highest and most basic values of the European Union, and you cannot find anyone who does not state this about the Republic of Kosovo.
As for the rule of law, according to World Justice Project, the second time this year that Kosovo is the first in Balkans and this year it is the second in the world in terms of improving the rule of law. There are eight criteria on how countries are assessed. Of these eight criteria, Kosovo is ahead of Serbia in seven of them. In only one of the eight criteria, Serbia is ahead of Kosovo. So, we are a country ahead of Serbia in terms of rule of law. There is no doubt that we are ahead of Serbia in terms of democracy and I am convinced that we are ahead of Serbia in terms of independence as well. Our state, our institutions are much more independent than those of Serbia, because of their ties with Russia.
In dialogue, we are the most active, creative and constructive party. The same cannot be said for the other side, which threatens with violence and is held in contempt.
Regarding European Union, as in the past, as today, I have often been critical and am critical, but I am repeating it never bitterly. My statement in Brussels this Monday is also in this direction. Critical of the High Representative and Special Envoy of the European Union, who abandoned European Union’s proposal.
I am always ready to respond to invitation for meetings, the subject of which is the final, internationally and legally binding agreement for the full normalization of relations with Serbia, with mutual recognition at the center.
Thank you very much
Last modified: November 29, 2022