Kóvoso opens the door to autonomy for Serb communities in exchange for recognition

The Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, declared this Thursday that he would agree to the creation of an association of municipalities populated by Kosovar Serbs, which would give some autonomy to that population, in exchange for recognition of Kosovo’s independence by Serbia.

Kurti said in Pristina that he has “six political conditions” to create such an association, including not monoethnicas dictated by the Constitution of Kosovo, and does not have any public or executive power.

The nationalist prime minister indicated that “the association must (…) apply only after the recognition” of independence that the former Serb province of Kosovopopulated by a large majority of ethnic Albanians, proclaimed in 2008, but which Serbia does not accept.

His condition is also that Serbia withdraw the letters addressed to five member countries of the European Union that do not recognize the independence of Kosovo – Spain, Greece, Cyprus, Slovakia and Romania – to ask that they not accept Kosovo’s application for membership in the EU. .

Kosovo agreed in 2013 – under the auspices of the EU – to create that autonomy of communities with a Kosovar Serb majority that would defend the collective rights of that population and with competences in spheres such as the economy, education or health, but which Pristina refuses to apply.

Kurti repeatedly reiterated his opposition to this despite pressure from the EU and the United States in this regard, citing the Kosovar Constitution.

The Serb population, which is 4% of the inhabitants of Kosovo, denounces feeling increasingly discriminated against.

For Serbia, this autonomy is a condition for a new European plan aimed at normalizing relations with Kosovo and, everything seems to indicate, it has international support.

Serbian ultranationalists consider it an affront to want to recognize Kosovo

This Thursday in Belgrade, Serbian President Vucic declared that Serbia “will persistently insist on the association of Serbian municipalities, which should be a legal and physical framework for the rights of the Serbian people.”

“Would we become a European pariah? Yes, we would. Completely isolated, no one would talk to us. We would have no access to any funds, you cannot function alone in the modern world,” Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said.

The ultranationalists consider any advance towards the recognition of Kosovo an affront and they made Vucic aware of this in Parliament.

Several dozen people also demonstrated in Belgrade against any move towards a political understanding with Kosovo.

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