Maliqi: Abandoning the Ohrid Agreement leads to new conflicts

Analyst from Pristina, Shkelzen Maliqi, stated that the formation of the Community of Serb Municipalities would be the shortest path for the normalization of relations between Belgrade and Pristina and that abandoning the Ohrid Agreement would mean a return to ideas of partition or territorial exchange, potentially leading to new conflicts.

"I believe this is the shortest path for this new European administration. The EU is still the facilitator, and it has been two years since the agreement was reached, which they consider signed and an international obligation for both Serbia and Kosovo. However, we have seen, not only in the last four years but over the past decade, that the process has been blocked precisely because of the Community of Serb Municipalities," Maliqi told Kosovo Online.

He sees the solution in the implementation of the Ohrid Agreement.

"The proposal initially taken on by Germany and France, and later supported by the entire European Union, could start to be realized. There is even a ‘road map’ outlining the gradual implementation. There is a chance to move in that direction," Maliqi explained.

Otherwise, he warns, new conflicts could arise.

"If we were to start over, I don’t know where that would lead, unless they want to go back to the idea of partition or territorial exchange, which could once again ignite conflicts rather than provide a solution," the analyst emphasized.

According to him, the normalization process could have also been based on solutions offered by the Brussels agreements from 2013 and 2015.

"Even the initial proposal, with some adjustments, was essentially a solution. The Constitutional Court had some objections, but it never stated that the CSM should not be created, as it is also an obligation under the Ahtisaari Plan. Based on that plan, Kosovo was able to declare independence," Maliqi specified.