Djukic: The sanctions under which Kosovo operates are mostly rhetorical, but lifting them would mean rewarding Kurti

In Brussels, a report on Kosovo's compliance with the demands made towards de-escalating the situation in the north is being prepared, upon which the European Union's decision to lift the sanctions imposed last June on Pristina will depend, and diplomat Srecko Djukic says that the EU's punitive measures have not influenced the authorities in Pristina and are more rhetorical than actual political and economic sanctions.

"I don't know what they are supposed to achieve. They are waved around to persuade Kurti to engage in constructive dialogue, however, he is stubborn, and no sanctions or threats of sanctions help him. It seems the only thing that helps him is when the Americans remove him from power and force him into new elections," Djukic says for Kosovo Online.

He adds that announcements about the potential lifting of sanctions suit Kurti because it means he doesn't need to change his stance.

"This is more of a story being circulated to create discussion, but there's nothing concrete behind it. First, the problem here is: what would they lift from him, and secondly, if they lift the measures, it is a reward for him because he hasn't done anything in the meantime. This report must contain what Pristina and Kurti have specifically done, for example, regarding the CSM, dinar, security issues... The report cannot be positive at all and yet must convince someone to lift non-existent sanctions," Djukic says.

When asked if talks about lifting sanctions on Kosovo are an attempt to persuade Kurti to engage in some form of cooperation, given that next week there is expected to be a vote in the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe on Kosovo's request to be admitted to that organization, our interlocutor says it's possible that someone thinks it will prompt Kurti to do something he hasn't done so far, but that's too weak pressure.

"It is weak pressure or weak blackmail for something major that he has to do, and for him, the establishment of the CSM is extremely significant. It is a game of cat and mouse, and I don't believe it will be crucial for either the Council of Europe and the CSM or for all other moves that are pending until Kurti is really warned in a more direct way as needed and as he can be warned by the great powers and the Quint. So that the path he must take is outlined clearly: if he doesn't form the CSM or other things, he won't gain anything from the Council of Europe and the trust of the international community, and he will have to go to elections," Djukic emphasizes.