Sarrazin: Kurti did not follow the EU, such behavior was punished

German Special Envoy for the Western Balkans, Manuel Sarrazin, assessed that the actions of Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti, which had led to the escalation of the situation in Zvecan, when there had been a riot and the wounding of KFOR soldiers, had been a "big mistake", TV21 reported.

Sarrazin added that everything that had happened had not been the sole responsibility of the Kosovo side.

"The European Union has clearly communicated what it wants to do to calm the situation. You may not agree with these decisions, but this is the standard of the EU, the 27 member states, and even the Quint. You may have had a better plan, but perhaps not everyone believes that that plan is better," Sarrazin stated.

He added that there had been a clear order from the EU to the Government of Kosovo on what needed to be done in order to de-escalate and that this had also applied to the mayors in the municipalities in the north.

"But Mr. Kurti had another plan and did not follow us. The EU has decided to punish this kind of behavior and says that we do not accept it. I think that both sides should work on reconciliation and return to the implementation of the Ohrid Agreement. And both sides must take positive steps to build credibility and implement the Ohrid Agreement. Mr. Lajcak is working on this and we support him in this. We will try to avoid this moment of confrontation and return to the path of de-escalation envisaged by the EU plan. There is no other way than to convince both leaders to follow this path," Sarrazin said.

As he pointed out, it could not be said that only the Government of Kosovo was to blame or that it alone was not doing enough to calm the situation.

"I want the Government of Kosovo to test the Government of Serbia more, to go towards fulfilling the points so that the Government of Serbia also fulfills its part," the German Envoy said.

He commented on French President Emmanuel Macron's warning regarding visa liberalization and said it would be a big mistake if visas remained in effect.

"I want to clearly say that this is not an option and it would be a big mistake. On January 1, 2024, it will be as agreed and promised," Sarrazin said.