German Ambassador: Serbia should impose sanctions on Russia, Resolution 1244 does not provide a basis for the return of Serbian troops to Kosovo

German Ambassador to Serbia Anke Konrad told TV N1 today that the situation in Kosovo shows how urgent it is to come to the negotiating table and find a compromise, and not to go from crisis to crisis.

Progress has been made on some issues, but it is imperative that Kosovo and Serbia seize the opportunity to find a final compromise, and not to go from crisis to crisis and create new tensions, Konrad stressed.

We have a chain of mutual provocations and steps that are perceived as provocations by one side or the other. This has to stop, it is important to return to talks on normalisation, the Ambassador reiterated.

Konrad said that Germany’s position is that UN Security Council Resolution 1244 does not provide a basis for the return of Serbian forces to the north of Kosovo, but that it is KFOR that should respond to Serbia’s request and and we should wait for that answer.

Asked whether the German-French document was a proposal for a final agreement, Konrad replied that such a document was an EU proposal and negotiations were being conducted under the mediation of the envoy Miroslav Lajcak.

It is a proposal that shows the perspective for both sides and the direction in which the agreement could go, Konrad said, pointing out that it is a document that, alongside the Brussels agreement, could point the way towards normalisation of relations.

Asked whether it was the basis for a final agreement between Belgrade and Pristina, she did not give a direct answer, but said that the paper had been offered to both sides and it was up to them to decide how to conduct the negotiations and what would be in the agreement.

Konrad said she regretted Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic’s statement that he “did not trust the Germans”, as Germany was very much involved in the resolution of this conflict.

Serbia, which is a partner, should also align itself with the European Union’s foreign and security policy as part of the accession process, the German ambassador said.

The EU approximation process, the key issue is coordination with the EU, but not everything can be reduced to that. I spoke about the rule of law and other areas where progress needs to be made. We expect Serbia to join the sanctions against Russia as a candidate country, Konrad said.

Konrad said she was happy that German companies could find a good business environment to start their activities.

Asked about media freedom in Serbia, she recalled that she lived in the DDR and that the media was not free and that diversity of opinion was needed.

It is a pity, when I look at the newsstands, that everything goes in one direction, she said, pointing out that the media should convey different points of view, that citizens should form their own opinions, rather than conveying a “default, ready-made” set of opinions”. .

This is what is expected from media freedom, Konrad said./Nova S/