A statement by Minister for Communities and Returns Nenad Rashiq that the Kosovo government is more willing to establish the Association of Serb-majority municipalities has reopened debate on one of the most sensitive issues in the dialogue with Serbia. Rashiq linked his position to recent political developments in Serbia and suggested temporarily setting aside the question of Serbia’s recognition of Kosovo. There are now calls for clarification on whether he was expressing the government’s official position.
Arbërie Nagavci, head of the Vetëvendosje Movement’s parliamentary group, said the party’s and the government’s position on the Association had not changed. MP Arbëresha Kryeziu-Hyseni said Rashiq does not speak on behalf of the government on this issue. Meanwhile, Jehona Lushaku, head of the LDK parliamentary group, called for clarification of the official position, while Besnik Tahiri of the AAK recalled the obligations arising from previous agreements, including the Ohrid Agreement.
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The debate also has a constitutional dimension. Under the Constitutional Court’s 2015 ruling, the agreed principles for the Association must be brought into line with Kosovo’s Constitution without undermining the constitutional order or the functioning of institutions. At the same time, the Student List’s victory in Serbia has raised questions about whether political developments there could create new conditions for normalizing relations and whether they should influence Kosovo’s approach.
Speaking to “Bota sot,” analyst Zejnulla Jakupi and Nijazi Halili, a political science professor and researcher of international relations and diplomacy, called for institutional clarity. Both believe progress toward the Association must not become a one-sided obligation for Kosovo without concrete steps from Serbia.
Jakupi said an individual statement cannot replace the position of the institutions on an issue that directly affects the constitutional order and the functioning of the state. He said the government should make its position public so that its official policy is not open to differing interpretations.
As for developments in Serbia, he sees the Student List’s victory as a new factor on the political scene but warns against premature expectations in Pristina. A change in political actors does not, in itself, demonstrate a change in Serbia’s policy toward Kosovo, Jakupi said; the Student List’s positions so far on Kosovo’s status do not yet provide grounds for such a conclusion.
Jakupi called for the agreements reached in the dialogue to be respected, but only through measures fully consistent with the Constitution and the Constitutional Court’s 2015 ruling. He opposes any mechanism that would create parallel executive powers or harm the institutional functioning of the Republic of Kosovo.
According to the analyst, the Association must remain part of the broader normalization process, rather than be separated from Serbia’s obligations. Belgrade, he said, must demonstrate through its actions that it implements the agreements, does not obstruct Kosovo’s international integration and pursues an approach leading toward de facto recognition. For any progress in the dialogue, Jakupi called for clear obligations for both sides, deadlines, monitoring mechanisms and measurable results.
He added that Kosovo’s decision-making should not depend on domestic political developments in Serbia. The dialogue, Jakupi said, should produce stable relations rather than one-sided obligations, with the Constitution, sovereignty and the interests of the state remaining its starting points.
Nijazi Halili also called on the government to state publicly whether Rashiq spoke on its behalf. The professor said it should also clarify the parameters of the process and the legal and political guarantees on which implementation would be based. He believes the minister’s statement cannot automatically be treated as an institutional decision and that the issue must be viewed in the context of developments in Serbia, domestic dynamics in Kosovo and the dialogue between Pristina and Belgrade.
Halili stressed that the Association is not merely a matter of local administration. He said it is linked to the functioning of institutions, the constitutional order, the state’s unitary character and interstate relations in the region. For that reason, any solution must respect the Constitution of the Republic of Kosovo, the Constitutional Court’s decisions and the principles of the country’s legal system.
Like Jakupi, Halili warned that the Student List’s victory should not be interpreted as proof that Belgrade has changed its policy toward Kosovo. A change in political representatives, he said, does not necessarily bring a change in state positions.
The professor also sees a fundamental problem with Rashiq’s suggestion that Serbia’s recognition of Kosovo be temporarily left out of the discussion. Normalization cannot mean Kosovo fulfilling its obligations while Serbia indefinitely postpones recognition of Kosovo’s statehood, he said. Halili called for reciprocity and parallel implementation of the agreements: every step toward the Association, he said, should be accompanied by measurable steps by Serbia toward normalization, respect for Kosovo’s sovereignty and de facto recognition of its documents, symbols and institutions.
Halili recalled that the Constitutional Court’s decision of December 23, 2015, in case KO130/15, found that the 2015 principles were not fully in line with constitutional standards and that the statute must be brought into line with the Constitution. Consequently, he said, the Association cannot be given executive, legislative or territorial powers that undermine the functioning of central institutions.
Alongside implementation of the agreements and respect for Kosovo’s sovereignty, Halili called for Serbia to be held accountable for developments that have undermined the country’s security. He singled out the terrorist attack in Banjska on September 24, 2023, stressing that justice and accountability for acts affecting security and territorial integrity are part of sustainable normalization.
In conclusion, Halili said Kosovo should continue the dialogue, but the Association must be addressed within a comprehensive normalization process, not as a standalone concession by Pristina. No step forward should separate Kosovo’s obligations from Serbia’s responsibilities, he said, and every decision must be constitutional, institutional and deliver concrete results on the ground.
