Peach: I am disappointed that Pristina rejected the election proposal

Photo: Tanjug/Rade Prelic

UK Prime Minister's Special Envoy for the Western Balkans Stuart Peach says that he is disappointed that the Pristina authorities rejected "the proposal for a compromise solution in order to facilitate voting for Kosovo Serbs in the territory of Kosovo during the upcoming elections in Serbia."

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"While it is clear that Kosovo has a sovereign right to decide whether such a vote will take place, not taking the opportunity to reach a practical solution offered in this case calls into question Kosovo's commitment to the fundamental values ​​of inclusiveness and democratic rights for all citizens," Peach said in an interview with Podgorica's Vijesti.

Asked which solution he sees as the most certain in the dispute between Belgrade and Pristina over the status of Kosovo, the former commander of the KFOR air force says that it can only be achieved through dialogue.

"There is only one way for Serbia and Kosovo to reach an agreement on the normalization of relations, and that is through dialogue mediated by the EU. The United Kingdom has supported this process all the time and I personally, as an envoy, work closely with EU Special Representative Miroslav Lajcak, who is in charge of dialogue," said Peach.

He added that the two sides must cooperate in order to reach a comprehensive, final, legally binding and sustainable agreement, which, he said, must also be acceptable to the international community.

Speaking about the Open Balkan initiative, he said Britain supports initiatives aimed at supporting regional cooperation, economic integration and open markets.

"It's important that the new processes complement the existing initiatives instead of clashing with them, as well as being inclusive and open to all six countries of the Western Balkans, under equal conditions," Peach said.

Uniting markets will have a positive impact on the economic development of the region and will make it more attractive for foreign investments, he stressed.

"The common regional market initiative is a mechanism essential for further regional economic integration, which goes hand in hand with the European perspective of the region," Peach said.

When it comes to Montenegro, Peach suggested that the first activity of the new government is to convince its citizens and the international community that it remains committed to Euro-Atlantic values. While, as he said, Russia's invasion of Ukraine has shaken Europe, the need for stable rule and wise leadership, in line with Euro-Atlantic and NATO values, is more important than ever.

Peach also referred to the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, saying that Britain is fully committed to territorial integrity and basic structures of BiH as a single sovereign state consisting of two entities.

(Telegraf.rs)