After yesterday’s rejection of the presented draft statute of the Union of Municipalities with a Serbian majority, during a meeting at the high political level of Belgrade and Pristina in Brussels, Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti presented his vision of the draft statute of the community, Anadolia reports.
In a post on Twitter, Kurti reiterated that the draft statute of the Community of Municipalities with a Serbian majority in Kosovo, which was presented by the Management Team, is unacceptable for Kosovo because it contradicts the Constitution of Kosovo.
In announcing his vision, which he also presented last night in Brussels, Kurti stated that the draft statute must be able to fulfill certain elements, such as providing the opportunity for members of the Serbian community in Kosovo to promote and protect their interests through a self-governing framework.
He further emphasized that the statute should promote a non-territorial project, where all Serbs in Kosovo will be functionally represented “in accordance with the principle of equality before the law and non-discrimination, on the basis of which all Serbs in Kosovo exercise their right to free association for the purpose of defense or advocating for political , national, cultural, social, economic rights and goals and others”.
Kurti’s draft community statute provides for the provision of a direct channel of communication with the Government of Kosovo, among other things, through participation in the Consultative Council for Communities.
“It will provide the possibility to be financed from the budget of the Government of Kosovo, international organizations, institutions of third countries and donations, including Serbia, and all this must go through the procedures and regulations of the Ministry of Finance of Kosovo. It will envisage the possibility of cooperation with all institutions, including municipalities, in order to support their work and the mission of its members,” the draft states.
The community will fully recognize the constitutional characteristics of the Republic of Kosovo such as respect for independence, the unity of the institutional system, territorial integrity and will contribute to its full realization in practice.
Current laws will ensure the possibility of realizing some non-profit services through the creation of associations in the field of culture, art, science and education, as well as associations of researchers and others, for the expression, promotion and development of Serbian identity.
Among other things, it will provide a procedure for registration in the Kosovo government body responsible for general administration and procedures for compliance with the laws of Kosovo in force. It will ensure and promote respect for political pluralism, freedom of speech, freedom of association and the right to freely defend the political and religious identity of Serbs in Kosovo.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Local Self-Government Administration of Kosovo, Elbert Krasniqi, dismissed the Management Team for drafting the statute of the Union of Municipalities with a Serbian majority in Kosovo.
In a post on Facebook, Krasniqi wrote that after yesterday’s presentation in Brussels of the draft statute of the Community of Municipalities with a Serbian majority, according to the competences given to the Management Team by the Brussels Agreement of 2013 and 2015, this team is now without status.
“So, today, May 3, 2023, I have decided to relieve the members of this Management Team consisting of Danijela Vujičić, Jelena Bolović, Igor Kalamar and Dejan Radojković,” Krasniqi wrote.
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