Brussels, 01/12/2015 (Agence Europe) - On Monday 30 November, the EU office in Kosovo, the EU special representative in Kosovo, and the embassies and offices of the EU member states in Kosovo called for calm and the resumption of political dialogue. The same day, opposition members of the Kosovan parliament launched tear gas in the Assembly, continuing to hinder its work (see EUROPE 11434).
“We call for the return to dialogue in the political life in general and the Assembly in particular to prevent any further escalation of violence that could lead to damage of property and injuries to human lives”, EU representatives said in a joint press release, stating that the violent opposition-led obstruction was “neither acceptable, nor will it solve any problem for the citizens of Kosovo”. “The people need all of the Assembly and institutions to work and tackle economic, social and other everyday challenges they face”, the EU representatives added.
They also reiterated the importance for the institutions to carry out their duties in line with their legal obligation and competences, as well as for the political parties and politicians to exercise their activities within the scope provided by the law. “Nobody is above the law, and the law has to be equally applied to all”, they stated.
According to the EU representatives, the peaceful conduct of demonstrations by the opposition on Saturday 28 November for the agreements to be abandoned on normalising relations with Serbia “is an example of a democratic way to express disagreement over political issues and a proof that Kosovo and its political leaders are able to engage in a political dialogue through democratic means”. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)