TIRANA
The Council of Albanian Ambassadors (CAA) is following closely the developments related to the dialogue between the Republic of Kosovo and the Republic of Serbia for the settlement of their inter-state disputes.
The CAA emphasizes that the source of problems and tensions in the relations between the Republic of Kosova and the Republic of Serbia is that Serbia maintains a hostile and aggressive attitude towards Kosova and its people.
The CAA states that the normalization of inter-state relations between the Republic of Kosovo and the Republic of Serbia is a pre-condition for the normal development of these two countries, which would be beneficial for the entire region.
The Council of Albanian Ambassadors wants to make it clear that there would never be normal relations, neither between the Republic of Albania and the Republic of Serbia, nor between Albanian and Serbian nations, as long as Belgrade does not recognize Kosova’s independence.
The active and principled commitment by the USA and the EU is indispensable for the successful end of the process for the normalization of inter-state relations between Kosova and Serbia. Both these parties should be treated on equal footing and each side should fulfil the obligations stemming from this dialogue.
The Council of Albanian Ambassadors holds that all agreements signed during the dialogue process should be treated and implemented on equal basis.
It is very upsetting that the Republic of Serbia has never implemented the agreement on putting an end to its illegal institutional structures in Kosovo and some other agreements as well.
As we have been repeatedly witnessing, Serbia’s – led criminal structures in Kosova threaten peace and security in Kosova’s northern part and make incessant pressure on all inhabitants of that part of the Republic of Kosova, without any ethnical distinction.
Even more disquieting is the tolerance and, in some cases, the understanding amidst international circles and emissaries for these illegal structures and their Belgrade sponsors.
While referring to the founding of the Association of Communes with Serbian Majority in Kosova, the Council of Albanian Ambassadors wants to bring back to attention that this has been an outstanding issue since 2015 and has re-occurred due to the reasonable apprehension in Prishtina that these entities could be turned into Serbian tools to undermine the state sovereignty and the constitutional functionality of the Republic of Kosova.
In order to avoid such a danger, every eventual action and process related to the founding of the Association of Communes with Serbian Majority in Kosova should be based on the following three fundamental principles:
First, the Association of Communes with Serbian Majority should not infringe the fundamental constitutional principles of the Republic of Kosova – sovereignty, constitutional primacy and the unitary character of the Republic of Kosova.
Secondly, the Association of Communes with Serbian Majority in Kosova can be neither a mono-ethnic structure, nor an intermediary between the central and communal level.
Thirdly, the Association of Communes with Serbian Majority cannot be tackled separately from the Final Agreement between the Republic of Kosova and the Republic of Serbia, as two sovereign and independent countries that recognize one another as such.
The Council of Albanian Ambassadors expresses its full- fledged confidence that as always, the Republic of Kosova will behave as a responsible state that preserves its state interest and strategic alliances, devoted to peace and stability in the region and to the Euro-Atlantic integration.
Meanwhile, we consider as unprincipled and counterproductive the international pressure put only on Kosova and solely for one out of over 30 signed agreements hitherto.
The Council of Albanian Ambassadors will continue to stand on its side and offer the unreserved support to the Republic of Kosova. We do also appeal to the institutions of the Republic of Albania not to stay passive and indifferent to the historic processes through which the Republic of Kosova and its people are going through, with a long- term impact on peace, security and development all over our region.