Honorable Speaker of the Parliament of the Republic of Kosova, Mr. Glauk Konjufca,
Honorable MPs of the Kosova Parliament,
Honorable Ms. Deputy Prime Minister Rexhepi,
Honorable Ministers of the Government Cabinet,
Dear Citizens,
In all meetings held up to now with the European Union mediator and senior advisors of the friendly countries of QUINT, I have continuously emphasized our dedication to reaching, as soon as possible, a final consensus regarding the French-German proposal, or better, the European Union proposal supported by France and Germany, presented to us on 9 September 2022. We see this proposal as a good basis for further discussion, and we are interested in working as intensively as possible in order for that proposal to be finalized and signed by the parties. Therefore, we request that the office of the EU High Representative, Mr. Borrell, call regular, frequent meetings in order to advance toward finalization. As I have been up to now, I am ready to contribute, with maximum constructiveness, to finding the best possible solution, and also to ensuring mechanisms that guarantee its full implementation.
Article 10 of the basic agreement is dedicated to the implementation of the agreements reached up to now during the process of the Brussels dialogue, and all prior agreements, including that of 19 April 2013, will be handled in the framework of that provision. Any attempt to extract and promote specific provisions of the basic agreement as special provisions, or as preconditions for moving forward, is as meaningless as it is unproductive.
Full normalization of relations between Kosova and Serbia, with mutual recognition at the center of the agreement, must also guarantee the rights of minority communities and accompanying institutional mechanisms. A normal democratic state does not discriminate against minorities, but rather defends them as a basic value, and preserves them as a social good. External normalization of relations must contribute to the internal normalization of states.
Regarding the agreement of 19 April 2013 in Brussels, this is my position, and the position of the Government I lead:
The Association of Municipalities coming out, in principle, from the Brussels Thaçi–Daçiq Agreement — or the First Agreement on Principles as it is also known — may be considered, as such a mechanism, by the Republic of Kosova, on the following conditions:
1. The Association must be in compliance with the Constitution and laws in force in the Republic of Kosova.
2. The Association cannot be mono-ethnic, must change its name, cannot have or hold any public or executive power, and must be in service only to horizontal cooperation of municipalities according to the Constitution and Law on Local Self-Government (Chapter 5).
3. The rights of national minorities and accompanying protection mechanisms must instantiate the principle of reciprocity between the two respective states, as well as take into account European standards and models.
4. Before the Association is established, Serbia’s illegal structures in the north are to be shut down, and all illegal arms are to be surrendered.
5. The Association is to be part of the final agreement and is to be implemented after mutual recognition, and only after Serbia accepts the principles of the United Nations Charter in its interstate relations with the Republic of Kosova.
6. The President of Serbia is to withdraw the letters delivered to the five EU member states, and to others, on the rejection of the Republic of Kosova’s application for membership in the European Union, which constitutes a violation of that very Thaçi–Daçiq agreement of 19 April 2013.
Thank you.
Last modified: February 2, 2023