The Prime Minister of Kosovo Albin Kurti stated that he did not receive any ultimatum from the international community regarding the situation in northern Kosovo and said that "things cannot be settled by pressure and mentioning consequences".

Kurti's statement, given in Mitrovica, where he attended a sports event, is a response to the announcement by the EU and US special envoys, Miroslav Lajcak и Gabriel Escobar, that Kosovo will suffer consequences if by the end of today it does not meet the demands of the international community to calm the situation in northern Kosovo, where local Serbs are protesting against Albanian mayors in municipalities with a majority Serb population.

Kurti said that at the meeting with Lajcak and Escobar, held last night in Pristina, he offered them "a sure way out of the crisis in the north of Kosovo", and he said that the problems in that region were "caused by illegal structures from Serbia".

"I have not received any ultimatum, we met with the emissaries and I offered them a reliable way out of the crisis in the north of Kosovo caused by illegal structures from Serbia. First is the rule of law - we have dozens of NATO soldiers, Kosovo policemen and journalists who were victims of an unprecedented brutality of violent extremists", said Kurti.

For the chaos of the protests in the municipalities with a majority Serbian population, Kurti blamed "criminals and violent extremists who behave like fascist police" and who are supported by the authorities in Serbia.

"All of them ... should face justice as soon as possible." There are among them those who came to Kosovo from Serbia... Those structures are managed and financed by Belgrade and should face the law for the crimes they committed - from burning vehicles to wounding with firearms, stun grenades and hand grenades." Kurti said.

After the removal of those groups and after the violent riots stop, the Kosovo Prime Minister said, the number of police officers in the municipal buildings will be reduced, after which "preparations for a fair and democratic electoral process for early elections" in the municipalities can begin. in northern Kosovo.

Regarding the remarks made to his government regarding the tensions in northern Kosovo, Kurti expressed confidence that "ambiguities will be clarified."

- There are challenges with the European and American emissaries, but our bilateral relations with the EU and the USA are excellent. When an American and European emissary comes as a mediator, then the relationship with Europe or America is not at issue here, but the relationship with Serbia is at issue, said Kurti.

According to him, these are "not the same things".

"When the United States asks for something within the framework of bilateral relations, we have no qualms about saying yes." "But when the American emissary asks for something related to relations with Serbia, then we should think carefully and be careful, but of course always be cooperative, constructive and committed," Kurti said.

Lajcak and Kurti, who were in Pristina yesterday and the day before yesterday, presented to Kurti the demands for taking concrete measures to calm the situation in northern Kosovo. In that region, inhabited by a majority Serbian population, local Serbs have been protesting for two weeks against the Albanian mayors who won the extraordinary local elections in the four municipalities there, held in April this year, and which the Serbs boycotted.

The European and American diplomat asked Kurti, among other things, to withdraw the special police units and organize extraordinary local elections in the affected region. They gave him until the end of today to fulfill the demands, warning that otherwise "there will be consequences" for Kosovo.