Stano: The Ohrid Agreement is binding for both sides, implement the agreed terms without delay

EU spokesperson Peter Stano stated that the Ohrid Agreement is binding for both Kosovo and Serbia, and added that it is up to Serbia to clarify whether, when, and why it withdrew the letter from December 2023, in which it expressed reservations about the Ohrid Agreement.

Stano emphasized that the EU’s position has always been that all agreements must be implemented by both sides without delay.

"The European Union’s continued stance is that the Ohrid Agreement is legal, and both sides are obliged to implement it," said Stano.

He also mentioned that one of the clauses indicates that the agreement becomes part of the EU integration process for both parties.

"This is a legal agreement accepted in Ohrid, and both sides must work on its implementation without any further delay," he stated.

When pressed by journalists to clarify when Serbia withdrew the letter sent by former Prime Minister Ana Brnabic to the EU, in which Serbia declared it did not accept the agreement, Stano reiterated that this is a final and internationally binding document for both parties.

He reminded that many EU member states, as well as the European Commission, have raised concerns and comments, emphasizing that both sides are required to implement the Ohrid Agreement.

If they fail to do so, Stano warned, they will not be able to continue their European path.

"What is clear is that, for us, this is a final and internationally binding document for both Kosovo and Serbia, and no further agreements are necessary. What is needed now—and this message is being reiterated to both Pristina and Belgrade from Brussels, member state capitals, and also from Washington—is immediate implementation. Without implementation, there will be no progress in the EU accession process," Stano stated.

The EU Special Representative for the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue, Miroslav Lajcak, confirmed during his visit to Pristina last week that the letter sent by former Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic to the European Union in December of last year, in which she expressed Serbia’s reservations regarding parts of the Ohrid Agreement and outlined Serbia’s red lines on Kosovo, has been withdrawn.