Zecevic: Only pressure from the West can persuade Pristina to form the CSM

Slobodan Zecevic, Director of the Institute for European Studies, believes that only pressure from the West can influence Pristina to form the Community of Serb Municipalities, which would lead to a positive shift in the dialogue with Belgrade.

In his view, the lifting of the sanctions that the EU imposed on Kosovo should happen only once Pristina fulfills the obligation it assumed under the Brussels Agreement.

The Serbian side, Zecevic told Kosovo Online, has largely implemented the agreements from the dialogue, while the Kosovo side has not, since the essence of the Brussels Agreement is the Community of Serb Municipalities.

“Serbia would never have transferred competences to Kosovo institutions in northern Kosovo if it had not been promised that the Community of Serb Municipalities would be established. I do not know to what extent lifting the sanctions on the Albanian authorities in Kosovo, who have not formed the CSM, would contribute to them doing so later. I am not sure about that. Serbia has shown a high degree of tolerance and has constantly moved forward in these negotiations, while on the other hand the Albanians have continually invented new obstacles to the formation of the CSM. They allegedly cannot do it because they have a Constitution and it is stronger than the agreements they concluded under EU mediation. It is exactly the opposite. The agreement they concluded under EU mediation carries more weight than their Constitution. If necessary, they must change their Constitution, not change the agreements they signed,” Zecevic emphasized.

Because of this, he believes that pressure from both the United States and the European Union is needed on Pristina to form the CSM first, and only then should the sanctions be lifted, which are, as he says, more or less symbolic.

“Pressure from the West would compel them to do what they should have done long ago, in 2013. They had plenty of time to show goodwill in that regard, and they have not done so. If even those symbolic sanctions are lifted, what will force the Albanians to form the CSM? What would be their motive? Politics is a matter of power relations, unfortunately. This is not about goodwill, but about the Albanians understanding, and someone clearly showing them, that what they are doing is not right. And if no one does that, but instead continually shows goodwill toward them, they will continue in their ambitions to cleanse Kosovo of Serbs,” Zecevic said.