Brussels, 22/02/2016 (Agence Europe) - On Friday 19 February, the European Union called for dialogue in Kosovo. The first parliamentary session of the year was disrupted by the opposition on several occasions, which launched tear gas.
Stating that the obstruction of work was “detrimental for the institutional life and for the citizens of Kosovo”, the spokesperson of High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini called on the parties to renounce the violence “in any form” and to return to a dialogue “based on principles of democratic government and democratic opposition functioning within a democratic institution”. “All sides need to refrain from the use of inflammatory rhetoric which only deepens the divide and makes a dialogue more difficult”, Mogherini's spokesperson added.
Although the Kosovan parliamentarians would like EU mediation in resolving the crisis, Mogherini's spokesperson told EUROPE that this option was not on the table (see EUROPE 11484).
The Kosovan opposition has been disrupting parliamentary work with violence since October, calling for the resignation of the government and for the normalisation of relations with Serbia to be abandoned. These demands are also picked up in violent demonstrations in the capital. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)