-
By:
Augustin Palokaj
- September 29, 2021 20:24
- Share to:
The Deputy Prime Minister of Kosovo, Besnik Bislimi, has said that an agreement has been reached in principle on the situation regarding license plates.
He said that a draft agreement has been reached, and only approval from the Serbian side is awaited. Bislimi said that according to the agreement, it is expected that from Monday the stickers will be placed instead of license plates, while a working group will be appointed to find a permanent solution about the license plates within six months. The working group will start work from October 21. It is also expected that the Kosovo Police will be replaced by KFOR at the border points in Jarinje and Bërnjak.
"We had several meetings, all of them were bilateral, with Mr. Lajçak, who then mediated between the parties. The goal for us has been clear to achieve de-escalation and maintain reciprocity with license plates. So far we have reached a final draft, which is almost completely agreed upon. Only the Serbian side is left to give the final agreement. The agreement foresees three elements. Starting from Monday, both Kosovo and Serbia will advance in the use of stickers instead of changing the signs, which was also our aim to have equal treatment. It is temporary and a working group will be formed to find a permanent solution for the free movement of cars between countries, within six months. The third point has to do with the de-escalation of the situation, the removal of the barricades from the two border points in Jarinje and Bërnjak. According to this agreement, on Saturday, KFOR will be deployed at the high points, and after a few hours, the Special Police will be replaced, and in parallel with the barricades, they will leave the border points", he said.
Bislimi has stated that the only point where Serbia has not given its consent, before the agreement is called finalized, has to do with KM cars.
"The only point where Serbia has not yet given its consent before the agreement is called finalized is about the KM cars for which they think that the stickers should not be applied, this is absurd because they are illegal plates and we cannot sign an agreement that favors the illegal license plate holders so that they would have the same system as long as they move in the north, while in the south they would be confiscated", said Bislimi.
Bislimi said that the goal was equal treatment and that the license plates were a means to force Serbia to remove the procedures against the citizens of Kosovo.
"For Kosovo, it is important to promote freedom of movement, the barriers we have put in changing the signs were not our desire, but it was the only means with which we tried to force Serbia to remove the procedures for the citizens of Kosovo who move towards Serbia", he said.
He added that the working group will start work from October 21 and that its objective will be to have no barriers and for the states to fully recognize each other's signs.
Today in Brussels, Bislimi held meetings with the EU emissary for the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, Miroslav Lajçak. The director of the so-called office for Kosovo in the Government of Serbia, Petar Petkovic, is also in Brussels. The parties have held individual meetings with Lajcak, while there has not yet been a tripartite meeting.
