State leaders insist organising of Serbia’s referendum in Kosovo is illegal

English

Gazeta Express

14/01/2022 14:45

Kosovo institutional leaders, President Vjosa Osmani, Prime Minister Albin Kurti, and Speaker of the Assembly Glauk Konjufca, issued Friday a joint press release after meeting QUINT, reiterating that organising of Serbia’s referendum in Kosovo’s territory is illegal and in violation with country’s Constitution and applicable laws. The statement came after Ambassadors of QUINT and the EU urged authorities to allow Kosovo Serbs vote in Serbia’s referendum on constitutional changes set to be held Sunday.

Kosovo institutional leaders in their joint press release stated that they have presented their coordinated stance before Ambassadors of QUINT ((France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, the United States) and the EU representatives that Kosovo Serbs with dual citizenship are free to vote by mail or through Belgrade’ Liaison Office in Pristina. “Institutional leaders made it clear that opening of polling centres of Serbia in Kosovo territory represents a clear violation of the Constitution and applicable laws, as well as international practices. Furthermore, such an act is violation of territorial integrity of Kosovo. Institutions called on international community that wne it comes to Kosovo to apply same standards as for other countries, considering that the independence of our country has been recognised by majority of democratic countries all over the world, and has been sealed with by the International Court of Justice,” it is written in the press release.

The institutional leaders stated that the Constitution of Kosovo, applicable laws, and international law do not recognise the right of another state to organise referendum in the territory of another sovereign state. They stated that the past practices as referred by QUINT and the EU applied since 2012, were unconstitutional, and do not oblige current institutions of the Republic of Kosovo elected by citizens to adhere these practices. “Furthermore, these practices have resulted only in strengthening of Serbia’s illegal structures in Kosovo,” according to the press release.  

Kosovo institutions consider that the reason why Serbia insists organising referendum in Kosovo is because they consider Kosovo as part of its territory. “Serbia wants to use referendum as a tool to expand its sovereignty over Kosovo,” according to the press release. Kosovo institutions say that the issue is not the role of the OSCE in collecting potential vote of Kosovo Serbs as requested by the EU, but the role of Serbia and its parallel and illegal structures in Kosovo who according to the Government pose threat to country’s sovereignty.  

Institutional leaders thanked QUINT and other democratic countries which have recognised Kosovo’s independence and expressed their gratitude that during today’s meeting QUIN T reconfirmed their support towards territorial integrity and sovereignty of Kosovo. Institutional leaders in their joint press release also accused Serbia of applying Russian models and supported by Russia to destabilise the region. “Non-holding of Serbian referendum in the sovereign territory of the Republic of Kosovo is the right move in our joint battle against autocracies and advancing democratic practices, a commitment that Kosovo has recently pledged at the Summit for Democracy organised by the United States of America,” it is concluded in the joint statement of Kosovo institutional leaders. /GazetaExpress/