Burjani: UNMIK has no role, UN Security Council is not the place to discuss normalization between Kosovo and Serbia

Political analyst Blerim Burjani emphasized that the UNMIK mission has long lost its role in Kosovo, and that the United Nations Security Council is not the place to discuss the relationship and normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia.

Commenting on yesterday’s UN Security Council session on Kosovo, Burjani stressed that the speeches by representatives of the United States and the United Kingdom were welcomed in Kosovo.

"The reactions in Kosovo to the U.S. declaration that the UNMIK mission should be terminated, as well as the UK's call for all countries that have not recognized Kosovo to do so as soon as possible, have been positive. The statements from other countries were of no particular significance for Kosovo. I believe UNMIK has long lost its political role; it is now more formal than real on the ground," Burjani said in a written response for Kosovo Online.

Regarding the speech by Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Djuric at the session, Burjani stated that Serbia advocates for the continued presence of UNMIK in Kosovo, and considers the UN Security Council the platform for discussing Kosovo.

"The Serbian side still advocates for the mission to exist in Kosovo, even though it knows that it has no real significance there. Serbia still believes that the Security Council is the place where something about Kosovo can be said. However, Kosovo is an independent state — that is the reality — and everything else is just political maneuvering by Serbia," Burjani emphasized.

He added that it is well known that Serbia pushes for the establishment of the Community of Serb Municipalities (CSM).

"There were no reactions in Kosovo to what Djuric said at the Council; in fact, he said nothing new. His position on Kosovo is well known, as is the role of the Serbian government. Serbia advocates for the formation of the CSM, and that’s all. Everything else is just political wordplay," he underlined.

Burjani believes that the UN Security Council is not the place to discuss the relationship between Kosovo and Serbia, but that Brussels is.

"The Security Council has no role in the normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia; that is the role of the European Union. The EU is the place where efforts for normalization should be made," Burjani concluded.