The media claims that Pristina officials forwarded a proposal to EU Special Representative Miroslav Lajcak regarding under what conditions Serbian ballots could be held in Kosovo are simply not true, the Lead Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy for the EU, Peter Stano, said in a statement for KoSSev.
As Demokracia.com reported on Sunday, citing diplomatic sources, Kosovan Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration, Development, and Dialogue, Besnik Bislimi, forwarded a proposal to Lajcak about the upcoming Serbian ballot being held in Kosovo, but under certain conditions.
According to this media, based on this proposal, the elections would be allowed in Kosovo if all documents and polling stations use the name „Serbian Liaison Office in Kosovo“ and the OSCE Mission organizes the voting process. On the other hand, the parties would not be allowed to conduct an election campaign, while „reciprocity for Kosovo citizens living in Serbia, based on the same practice“ would be applied.
“As a general rule, we never comment on what partners tell us, propose to us or give us, this is for them to comment. But in this specific case I can state that the claims below are simply not true,” Stano told KoSSev.
The EU spokesperson underscored that nothing of the kind was neither raised nor communicated to EU Special Representative Lajcak during talks in Pristina last week.
Pristina officials have objected to the holding of the upcoming Serbian parliamentary elections in Kosovo.
When asked whether the EU spoke to Belgrade and Pristina representatives about this issue and whether an agreement was reached in the meantime, Stano recalled the EU’s „well-known position“ on the issue:
„It is up to the parties to engage in negotiations and find the necessary consensus. The EU is ready to facilitate and provide ideas in line with European practices, but ultimately the responsibility to find an agreement lies with the parties.“
Stano underlined that Lajcak made this point very clearly to his counterparts during his visit last week in Pristina.
Preuzimanje i objavljivanje tekstova sa portala KoSSev nije dozvoljeno bez navođenja izvora. Hvala na poštovanju etike novinarske profesije.
