Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, surrendered in the face of international pressure, agreeing to the preconditions of the European Union for the withdrawal of the police from the North and the holding of new elections in the 4 municipalities.

The agreement was reached during an informal meeting in Bratislava between the deputy Prime Minister of Kosovo, Besnik Bislimi and the EU's special envoy for the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, Miroslav Lajçak. 
Main focus of yesterday's meeting was the creation of preconditions for strengthening attention until the full and unconditional implementation of the agreement of February 27 and the Ohrid annex of March 18.

Through a press release, the Government of Kosovo declares that the police presence in and around municipal buildings in the north will be immediately reduced to the extent of 25%. And then the gradual withdrawal will follow depending on the assessment of the security situation by the Kosovo Police, together with the EU Rule of Law mission, EULEX, and the NATO peacekeeping mission in Kosovo, KFOR.

"The government of Kosovo publicly shows its readiness to contribute to the de-escalation of the situation and the non-undertaking of actions that could escalate the situation in the north of the country. This includes an immediate 25% reduction in police presence in and around municipal buildings. The Kosovo Police, together with EULEX and KFOR, will assess the security situation as needed, in particular to look at the possibility of further reducing the police presence in and around municipal buildings", the Government's communique says.

Kosovo and the EU have also agreed on holding "early elections in the four municipalities in the North of the country after the summer season" and that the institutions in Pristina express their commitment to providing the necessary legal basis for the organization of these elections. In the name of normalizing relations, the leaders of Kosovo and Serbia will go to Brussels to agree on the implementation plan of the Ohrid agreement. The above-mentioned actions will be finalized within a two-week period.