"I couldn't sign because of the pain in my right hand"/ The MEP reacts harshly to Vu?i?: He cannot block Kosovo's membership in the UN

The rapporteur for Kosovo in the European Parliament, Viola von Cramon, said that with the statements before the meeting in Ohrid, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic paved the way for the agreement between Kosovo and Serbia, but that the statement after the meeting, that he could not sign anything "because of excruciating pain in the right hand" is a joke that was poorly received in Brussels and the main capitals of the European Union. Cramon said that Kosovo's membership in the UN does not depend on Serbia, whose international position, according to her, would be much more good if he had imposed sanctions on Russia.

"The agreement of February 27 and the implementing annex are truly revolutionary because they bring a new quality to the dialogue. From the state of crisis, we move to conversations about the essence and almost complete normalization of relations. This brings benefits to both Serbia and Kosovo, because it really unlocks their European paths. They know very well that without the final solution of all issues between them, there is no real integration in the EU. In addition, the agreement allows Serbia to ensure the protection of Kosovo Serbs and their cultural heritage in an appropriate manner, while Kosovo receives full respect and recognition for documents, trade and so on," she said.

Asked if it is necessary to sign the agreement to start its implementation, Cramon said in an interview for "Nova" that it is a pity that it is talked about that way.

"We closely followed his [Vucic's] statements before the agreement, which were very commendable, because they paved the way for reaching the agreement. However, the rhetoric behind it all his mockery of 'excruciating pain in the right hand' was badly received both in Brussels and in key EU capitals”.
While on the question of whether it is possible to implement what the president of Serbia says - to implement everything, except for the point related to Kosovo's membership in the UN, Cramon said that it does not depend on him.

“Le të jemi të sinqertë – nuk i takon Serbisë të vendosë nëse Kosova mund të hyjë në OKB. E kuptoj që kjo (deklarata si kjo) është për audiencën e brendshme, por në fund të fundit nuk është në dorën e Serbisë, sepse pranimi në OKB varet nga vendimi i Këshillit të Sigurimi, ku Kina apo Rusia ende mund të vënë veton”.

Ajo tha se marrëveshja e 27 shkurtit në Bruksel është ligjërisht e detyrueshme, “që ishte një mënyrë për të siguruar vlefshmërinë e saj edhe pa nënshkrim.”

“Tashmë ajo është pjesë e kritereve për pranimin e Serbisë në BE dhe vetëm zbatimi i plotë i saj do t’i mundësojë Serbisë mbylljen e negociatave. Rruga e Kosovës drejt OKB-së nuk ka asnjë lidhje me të”.

Duke folur pozicionin e Serbisë në arenën ndërkombëtare, Cramon tha se është fare e sigurt se pozita e Serbisë do të kishte qenë shumë më e mirë nëse do të kishte vendosur sanksione ndaj Rusisë.

"We have noticed the ranking of Serbia in the UN and in other international forums, but what we need to see is not only the imposition of sanctions, but also a clear departure from Russia. The presence of RT and Sputnik, which produce content in the Serbian language, makes this extremely difficult, and therefore we insist that Serbia ban them. Also, the pro-Russian director of the BIA, Aleksandar Vulin, is another example of why Serbia has a reputation as a Russian puppet in the Balkans. We are losing confidence in the Serbian intelligence service, and I personally would be afraid to do anything against Russia in Serbia as long as he holds that position," Cramon said.