Prime Minister Albin Kurti has stated that there should be a special agreement with Serbia to enable the Serb community in Kosovo to participate in Serbia's elections.
In a letter to the head of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo, Michale Davenport, Kurti said that this agreement should come from Serbia as an interested party, based on Kosovo's sovereignty and independence.
"Regarding the same, and regarding the issue of interstate cooperation for voting abroad, in order to enable citizens of the Serb community in Kosovo with dual citizenship to vote in Serbian elections outside the Serbian Liaison Office in Kosovo, a special agreement between the Republic of Kosovo and Serbia is needed. The request for this agreement must come from Serbia as an interested party," Kurti's letter obtained by Koha said.
According to the prime minister, under these conditions Serbia should negotiate an agreement with Kosovo, and as Kurti said, the obligation of the Basic Agreement "to contribute to good neighborly relations, on the basis of equal rights" would be applied.
"Regarding the holding of Serbia's elections on the territory of the Republic of Kosovo, let me draw your attention to the new legal framework, which is built on european and international best practices. Regarding the same, and regarding the issue of interstate cooperation for voting abroad, in order to enable citizens of the Serb community in Kosovo with dual citizenship to vote in Serbian elections outside the Serbian Liaison Office in Kosovo, a special agreement between the Republic of Kosovo and Serbia is needed. The demand for this agreement must come from Serbia as an interested party. And any such request must be based on the sovereignty and independence of Kosovo as an equal state, in accordance with Article 2 of the Basic Agreement reached this year between Kosovo and Serbia. Under these conditions we encourage Serbia to negotiate such a special agreement with the Republic of Kosovo, thus implementing another obligation of the Basic Agreement: to contribute to good neighborly relations, on the basis of equal rights and mutual respect of the rights of voters abroad," the letter reads.
Local and parliamentary elections in Serbia will be held on December 17 this year.