Kosova Democratic Institute (KDI) has held today the round table “The Final Stage of Dialogue: The Perspective of Political Parties” with the heads of parliamentary groups of political parties.

During this discussion the panelists presented the views of the political parties about the new stage of dialogue with Serbia, the platform and the representation of Kosovo in this process.

At the opening of the roundtable, Jeta Krasniqi from KDI stressed that the local political spectrum should build a consensus to better protect the state interest which has not yet been achieved.

“On 29 May, KDI addressed a public request to the Kosovo Assembly, Kosovo’s deputies to hold an extraordinary session to discuss the future of Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, considering the importance that the Kosovo Assembly should play in this process “she added, among other things.

LDK parliamentary group leader Avdullah Hoti has said that LDK supports dialogue, but each individual and institution must remain within its competencies and responsibilities. Hoti added that as MPs, they have no information on what the legally binding agreement will bring, whether Kosovo’s statehood will be redefined or if the constitution will be opened.

Meanwhile, Memli Krasniqi, head of PDK parliamentary group stressed that dialogue with Serbia was not and is not Kosovo’s choice, but an obligation, especially on the path of European integration. Krasniqi estimated that the agreement to be reached would overcome the size of a generation so it is necessary to have inclusiveness and unity in this process. Krasniqi added that there will be a compromise, but this compromise will not undermine the sovereignty and unity of the Republic of Kosovo.

Glauk Konjufca, head of LVV parliamentary group, assessed that the agenda of the dialogue should not be dominated by President Thaci’s own agenda. Konjufca underlined that President Thaçi has no mandate nor right to speak in Brussels. Further, Konjufca said that Vetevendosje will use all the resources available to prevent new compromises that affect the sovereignty and integrity of the Republic of Kosovo.

Whereas Dardan Sejdiu, head of PSD parliamentary group, estimated that the Assembly should give green light to any decision that has to do with the dialogue process. He stressed that the process should have legitimacy and quality support from the Kosovo Assembly, in particular the platform and the representative team. Also, Sejdiu added that a supervisory committee should be established which would ensure transparency and accountability of this process.

Bilall Sherifi, head of parliamentary group the Social Democratic Initiative, said that he supports anyone who goes to the dialogue as long as the country’s sovereignty, integrity and unity are not violated. However, Sherifi stressed that such a thing is unreliable when we consider the course of the process so far and the agreements reached in Brussels. Sherifi estimated that the process should not be in the hands of any individual and that there should be discussion in the Assembly about the arrangements before it is achieved and brought to voting.

Meanwhile Muharrem Nitaj from AAK parliamentary group stressed that opposition parties should not exclude themselves from this important process for the country. Nitaj asked not to make political calculations to take advantage of this situation while emphasizing that the Assembly should have the key to this process.

This discussion was organized within the project “European Perspective – Building a National Consensus on the Normalization of Relations with Serbia” supported by the Swiss Embassy in Pristina.