Lajcak with Ahmeti: Urgently reduce tensions in the north of Kosovo in accordance with the demands of the US and the EU

The Special EU Envoy for dialogue between Serbia and Kosovo, Miroslav Lajcak, spoke today with the president of the North Macedonian Democratic Union for Integration, Ali Ahmeti, about the situation in the north of Kosovo.

Lajcak wrote on Twitter that at the meeting, the urgent need to reduce tensions in line with the requests of the US and the EU had also been discussed.

Washington and Brussels asked Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti to urgently de-escalate the situation in the north, withdraw the Kosovo Police from municipal buildings, and that the Albanian mayors who had been elected in elections where the turnout had been around 3.5 percent and which the Serbs had boycotted perform from alternative locations. New elections are also being sought in the north, with the participation of the Serbs and the formation of the Community of Serb-majority Municipalities.

Due to Kurti's refusal to fulfill these demands, the US and the EU have already activated certain sanctions aimed at isolating Kosovo, including the suspension of the KSF participation in the "Defender Europe 23" exercise, as well as the postponement of official visits and planned events and financial cooperation of the EU with Pristina.

"Had a long discussion with Ali Ahmeti, the leader of the Democratic Union for Integration. We spoke about the situation in the north of Kosovo and the urgent need for steps to lower the tensions in line with the demands of the EU and the US," Lajcak wrote.