The special envoy of the United States for the Western Balkans, Gabriel Escobar, has stated that Kosovo and Serbia should immediately start implementing the Agreement towards the normalization of relations.

During a virtual discussion with journalists, Escobar said that the agreement reached on March 18, in Ohrid, North Macedonia, is “in all aspects” and is legally binding, which will be part of the European path of both states.

“The European path of Kosovo and Serbia is extremely conditional on the implementation of this agreement”, he said.

The senior American official said that it is important for Kosovo to start drafting its version for the establishment of the Association of municipalities with a Serbian majority. Meanwhile, as for Serbia, he said that it should start recognizing the documents and state symbols of Kosovo.

“This agreement is the beginning of reconciliation between Kosovo and Serbia. There is a lot of work that needs to be done beyond this agreement,” he said.

Escobar assessed the agreement as “historic” and said that it will help the European partners so that the parties can implement all the points of the agreement.

The senior American official also discussed the fact that neither Kosovo nor Serbia signed the agreement during the meeting in Ohrid. He said that focusing on this aspect is irrelevant, since according to him, this is an agreement and is seen as such by the EU.

Asked what is the best European model that could be used as an example for the Association of Serb-majority municipalities in Kosovo, Escobar said that it belongs to the people of Kosovo to decide, in conversation with Serbia.

Kosovo and Serbia on March 18, under the mediation of the European Union, agreed on the annex to the implementation of the Agreement towards normalization. The European proposal for normalization, consisting of 11 articles, does not specifically mention mutual recognition. However, the document requires both countries to accept each other’s documents and symbols, including: passports, diplomas and license plates.

The European proposal also requires the parties to implement all the agreements reached so far in the dialogue for the normalization of relations, including the one for the formation of the Association of municipalities with a Serbian majority in Kosovo, which the Government in Prishtina has refused until now, on the grounds that it may jeopardize the functionality of the state.

/k.s/