No Association based on ethnicity in Kosovo, says Prime Minister Albin Kurti

English

Gazeta Express

17/06/2021 9:49

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti has commented the statement of the US Ambassador to Pristina, Philip Kosnett, who said Kosovo authorities are obliged to establish the Association of Serb-majority Municipalities. Kurti said Kosovo has an association of municipalities which is functional and reiterated that there can be no Association of municipalities based on ethnicity.

“I do not think that Kosovo can have an association based on ethnicity under current judicial and constitutional order. There can be an association of municipalities on development basis, but not on geographic basis. Let us say the association of the Rugova mountains, Sharri mountains or Lepenc River. But an association based on ethnicity is unconstitutional. And practically such a conclusion was made with the ruling of the Constitutional Court, published on 23 December 2015,” Kurti told KosovaPress. Kurti said that he is in favour of respecting rights of all minorities, an against marginalization and discrimination. He said that such requests are coming from politicians and northern neighbors, referring to Serbia.

Kurti’s comments come a day after US Ambassador to Kosovo, Philip Kosnett, said that Kosovo is obliged to establish the Association of Serb-majority Municipalities. He told Kontakt Plus Radio the history did not begin when Prime Minister Albin Kurti formed his cabinet, adding that earlier agreements must be respected.

Kosovo and Serbia signed in 2013 an agreement on establishment of the Association/Community of Serb Municipalities during the EU-facilitated dialogue in Brussels. But a ruling of the Constitutional Court of Kosovo in 2015 said that most of the provisions of this deal are unconstitutional. Albin Kurti has stated earlier that there can be no monoethnic association of municipalities in Kosovo. /GazetaExpress/