The High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, called on Kosovo to show political unity on Wednesday 18 March.
He held a conference call with the Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, about the latest developments regarding the COVID-19 outbreak, saying that the EU was on the side of Pristina and the whole region. “Close coordination and cooperation, at regional level and with the EU, are key in response to this emergency, which can only be tackled together”, he explained.
Moreover, “the situation calls for consensus, political unity and common purpose”, Mr Borrell warned as the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), one of the two parties in the ruling coalition, announced a motion of no-confidence against the government the same day.
This decision was justified by this party by the dismissal of the Minister of the Interior from the LDK for having advocated a state of emergency against the coronavirus and by Mr Kurti's refusal to totally abolish tariffs imposed on Serbian and Bosnian products, which caused tensions with the United States (see EUROPE 12436/3).
In his appeal, Mr Borrell recalled that the EU wanted these tariffs removed “as they are an obstacle to regional cooperation, which today is more crucial than ever”. “It is important for Kosovo to lead an inclusive negotiating process with Serbia under the format of the EU-facilitated Dialogue”, the High Representative added. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)