We won’t use footnote forever, Kosovo official says

Kosovo Deputy Foreign Minister Petrit Selimi claims Pristina is not planning on taking part in international meetings with a footnote under its name forever. “We have not changed our name. It says in the agreement that it is a temporary solution,” he told Austrian news agency APA. We won’t use footnote forever, Kosovo official says Even though the agreement did not work at the first regional meetings, when both Serbian and Kosovo delegations left meetings in Belgrade and Sarajevo, Selimi claims that the agreement represents a “positive development”. According to him, the agreement on regional representation has brought three advantages. The first one is that Kosovo can take part in regional and international meetings without UNMIK, the second is that Kosovo can sign international agreements and the third is that it has placed Kosovo on the EU pathway. Selimi added that the agreement allows progress, pointing out the feasibility study for the Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA) with the EU which should be drafted. The deputy minister also criticized holding of Serbian local elections in Kosovo. “This is a provocation and it is completely unacceptable,” he stressed and added that it represented “a direct violation of what the EU expects from a candidate country”. Commenting on the integration of northern Kosovo into the Pristina institutions, he said he was optimistic and that the process “will take time”. “We do not want to control the Serbs in the north. They can get their local self-governments just like other municipalities and we would not impose anything on them. They can continue to live they way they do now but they would have a voice in Pristina,” he explained. A Kosovo delegation walked out of the 1st Regional Conference on Cooperation of Civil Societies in the Western Balkans and Turkey in Belgrade on Thursday. A Serbian delegation walked out of a meeting held in Sarajevo due to lack of the footnote under Kosovo’s name. Belgrade team chief Borislav Stefanovic said that problems at the meetings in Belgrade and Sarajevo represented “Pristina’s attempt to change the Brussels agreement”. Tanjug

We won’t use footnote forever, Kosovo official says

Even though the agreement did not work at the first regional meetings, when both Serbian and Kosovo delegations left meetings in Belgrade and Sarajevo, Selimi claims that the agreement represents a “positive development”.

According to him, the agreement on regional representation has brought three advantages. The first one is that Kosovo can take part in regional and international meetings without UNMIK, the second is that Kosovo can sign international agreements and the third is that it has placed Kosovo on the EU pathway.

Selimi added that the agreement allows progress, pointing out the feasibility study for the Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA) with the EU which should be drafted.

The deputy minister also criticized holding of Serbian local elections in Kosovo.

“This is a provocation and it is completely unacceptable,” he stressed and added that it represented “a direct violation of what the EU expects from a candidate country”.

Commenting on the integration of northern Kosovo into the Priština institutions, he said he was optimistic and that the process “will take time”.

“We do not want to control the Serbs in the north. They can get their local self-governments just like other municipalities and we would not impose anything on them. They can continue to live they way they do now but they would have a voice in Priština,” he explained.

A Kosovo delegation walked out of the 1st Regional Conference on Cooperation of Civil Societies in the Western Balkans and Turkey in Belgrade on Thursday.

A Serbian delegation walked out of a meeting held in Sarajevo due to lack of the footnote under Kosovo’s name.

Belgrade team chief Borislav Stefanović said that problems at the meetings in Belgrade and Sarajevo represented “Priština’s attempt to change the Brussels agreement”.