Several dozen European and American parliamentarians sent a joint letter to the officials of the United States, Europe and Great Britain, asking them to be tougher towards Serbia in connection with the escalation of the conflict between Belgrade and Pristina.
The letter addressed to the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and British Foreign Minister James Cleverley, was signed by the chairmen of the foreign policy committees of the parliaments of 10 countries, as well as 56 other parliamentarians from numerous countries, as well as members of the European Parliament.
In the letter, which was signed, among others, by the Chair of the Foreign Policy Committee of the British Parliament, Alicia Kearns, and the Chairman of the Foreign Policy Committee of the German Parliament, Michael Roth, as well as the Chairman of the European Affairs Committee of the Bundestag, Toni Hofreiter, expressed concern about the current policy of the EU, the US and Great Britain towards Serbia and Kosovo and demands that it be reconsidered.
"Kosovo faced significant consequences after the mayor's attempt to enter their offices in the north of Kosovo. Kosovo should coordinate with KFOR in the future to prevent escalation. But the lack of pressure on Serbia after the arbitrary detention of three Kosovo police officers and the fact that they were not held accountable for the attacks on KFOR highlights the current lack of equality in dealing with such hot spots," the letter states.
The current approach is not delivering results. We would ask the international community to learn from our past and ensure that we do not adopt a Balkan policy in which Belgrade is the center of attention.
We need a credible strategy dedicated to freedom, democracy, human rights and deterrence diplomacy, Cairns and Roth said in a letter they posted on Twitter yesterday.
Stating that recent events and crises have highlighted the shortcomings of the collective approach, which is why they demand that it be reconsidered, the signatories emphasize that "the focus must remain on the normalization of relations and the continuation of the Euro-Atlantic path for both Serbia and Kosovo", but also that "the recent unrest requires from all sides to refocus on de-escalation and deterrence”.
Recalling the latest crisis in the north of Kosovo after the boycott of local elections, the signatories of the joint statement emphasize that "Kosovo is a sovereign country and a functioning democracy" and that "this fact should be the basis for a collective policy towards the current crisis".
"Serbia's attempts to disrupt the democratic elections in Kosovo must be publicly criticized as foreign interference with the application of tangible measures to hold them accountable if they continue to undermine free and fair elections. This will help facilitate future elections with the full participation of all communities in the northern municipalities," it added.
The letter points out that the diplomacy of deterrence must be applied if the current crisis is to be resolved, that the EU-mediated dialogue should yield positive results and that the Ohrid Agreement be implemented. We ask that balance and proportionality be restored in the dealings with Kosovo and Serbia, it added.
"The current approach is not delivering results. We would ask the international community to learn from our past and ensure that we do not adopt a Balkan policy in which Belgrade is the center of attention. We also ask you to consider adopting a policy of deterrence diplomacy to prevent further deterioration of the security and political situation in northern Kosovo, with balance and proportionality as guidelines for any statements and punishments or sanctions imposed, and that those who support the rule of law and democracy are not criticized .
The joint letter to Brussels, Washington and London was signed by members of the parliaments of Great Britain, Lithuania, Latvia, Ukraine, Austria, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands and other countries, as well as members of the European Parliament.
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