Kosova Welcomes Franco-German Proposal on Dialogue with Serbia
"The Franco-German proposal serves as a good basis for further discussions in the Kosova-Serbia dialogue".
This is what the President, Vjosa Osmani and Prime Minister Albin Kurti stated during the meeting with the French President, Emmanuel Macron, it is stated in the joint communique issued by the Presidency and the Government of Kosova.
In the communiqué of November 10, it is said that Osmani and Kurti thanked President Macron for the commitment of France, in cooperation with Germany, to dynamize the dialogue process.
The German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, confirmed on November 3 the existence of the Franco-German plan, which was reported to be a proposal for resolving the disputes between Kosova and Serbia.
Osmani and Kurti are participating in the Peace Forum in Paris. There are also their Serbian counterparts, Ana Bërnabiq and Aleksandar Vucic.
Earlier in the day, Macron also met Vucic. Officials from Kosova and Serbia have traveled to France, amid the crisis in northern Kosova, after members of the Serbian community resigned from Kosova's institutions.
According to the announcement, this topic was also discussed in the meeting with Macron.
"... they also talked about the recent developments in the north of the country, stressing that the institutions of the Republic of Kosova remain committed to peace, stability and guaranteeing a safe environment for all the citizens of the country", the announcement states.
A day earlier, the ambassador of the United States in Kosova, Jeffrey Hovenier, said that "we are all concerned about the situation in the north", because it has "the potential to escalate".
Kurti, in a press conference on November 7, said that the Serbian president, Aleksandar Vu?i?, was using members of illegal structures in the north for destabilization after rejecting the Franco-German plan.
On November 1, the Government of Kosova began to implement its plan for the re-registration of cars with illegal Serbian license plates, despite the previous insistence of the international community to postpone this plan.
Kosova demands that they be replaced with RKS, or Republic of Kosova, license plates. Its plan is expected to be implemented in three phases: first, reprimanding drivers; the second, the punishment of drivers with a 150 euro fine, and the third, the distribution of trial license plates.
The majority of Serbs in the north, supported by official Belgrade, oppose the plan, insisting on license plates neutral to Kosova's status.
As a sign of opposition to its implementation, the northern Serbs have resigned from the institutions of Kosova.
On November 11, the head of diplomacy of the European Union, Josep Borrell, is expected to meet with Kurti and Vucic in Paris, in separate meetings.