COPENHAGEN, 31 May 2023 – Following recent events in the north of Kosovo, the OSCE PA’s Special Representative on South East Europe, Michael Link (MP, Germany), strongly condemned the violence that was used against citizens, media, law enforcement authorities and KFOR peacekeepers, with at least at least 30 KFOR peacekeepers injured by protestors on Monday. The Special Representative is closely following the situation.

“Two months ago, I welcomed the progress that was achieved at the high-level meeting in Ohrid of the Belgrade-Pristina talks on good-neighbourly relations, but sadly, these days we could see unpleasant scenes in the streets of the north of Kosovo,” Link said. “The fundamental right to protest should be exercised peacefully and without using violence against law enforcement authorities, which in turn shouldn’t use excessive force. The media has to be able to report in an unhindered way.”

Link, who also serves as Vice-President of the OSCE PA, urged all actors involved in the recent events to work on de-escalation, stressing that there was enough violence. “The agreed German-French plan and its annex agreed in Ohrid should get its final fine tune on the negotiation table facilitated by the EU,” he said.

The OSCE and its Parliamentary Assembly support the efforts of the Western Balkan region in making progress on reforms and democratization, the Special Representative emphasized.

For more on the work of the Special Representative on South East Europe, please click here.