Kosovo will implement the 2013 deal on the establishment of the Association of Serb-majority Municipalities (ASM), Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti has insisted following a meeting with Miroslav Lajcak, the EU envoy for the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue.
Lajcak held separate meetings with Hoti and Speaker of Parliament Vjosa Osmani on Tuesday in Prishtina.
His visit comes amidst Serbia’s pressure to renegotiate the ASM deal and Kosovo government’s strong disagreement on it.
Lajcak made no public statement after the meetings.
Hoti stressed that his government is constructively dedicated to the dialogue, which should lead to mutual recognition. He reiterated that the ASM will be established in accordance with the 2013 deal, also ratified by Kosovo’s parliament.
“We have all the guarantees and support of our partners that this Association will not have executive powers,” Hoti said during e press conference after the meeting.
Kosovo Serb representatives warned on Tuesday that they will leave both central and local institutions if Prishtina does not establish the ASM.
“I have not changed my mind, I have always kept this stance, I am not subject to pressure[…] This government does not accept threats from anyone. We have coalition agreements with all partners, including the Serbian List. As long as we stick to the agreements, we work together,” Hoti stressed.
Speaker of Parliament Vjosa Osmani told Lajcak that any agreement that is not ratified in parliament cannot be implemented. In a press release, she pointed out the need for domestic consensus in the process of dialogue with Serbia. Osmani also highlighted the inviolability of Kosovo’s constitutional order and unity.
In 2015, Kosovo and Serbia agreed on principles to implement the 2013 deal on the ASM, but in 2015 the Constitutional Court deemed it unconsitutional.
Three days before traveling to Kosovo, Lajcak urged Kosovo to implement the deal without delays.
