Sorensen: Ohrid Agreement Legally Binding Without Signatures; Belgrade Must Arrest Banjska Attackers

The 2023 Ohrid Agreement holds legal standing under international law, even without formal signatures from both parties, according to EU Special Representative for the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue, Peter Sorensen. He stressed that the focus should be on implementation rather than the act of signing.

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What is missing is not signatures – it is implementation.

In an interview with KosovaPress, Sorensen stated, "What is missing is not signatures – it is implementation." He clarified that consent to be bound does not strictly require a signature, and both Belgrade and Pristina agreed to the text in Ohrid, with the EU recording their consent. He recalled that the binding nature of the agreement was confirmed in writing by the then-EU High Representative on March 18, 2023, a position the EU maintains.

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the 2023 Ohrid Agreement is legally binding under international law, with or without signatures.

Sorensen acknowledged that progress in implementing the agreed terms has been slow, falling below expectations. "That is where the energy should go," he urged, indicating that implementation is the critical factor moving forward. He also noted that there is no set deadline for concluding the dialogue, stating, "Progress, not the calendar, is my measure."

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Progress, not the calendar, is my measure.

Regarding the September 2023 attack in Banjska, Sorensen reiterated his call for Belgrade to arrest and bring those responsible to justice. He commented on Kosovo's acting Prime Minister Albin Kurti's demand for the extradition of Milan Radoicic as a condition for a new meeting, remarking that Kurti's absence from such a meeting "would not move forward the process of accountability." Sorensen emphasized that high-level meetings between Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić and Kurti are convened only when they can yield results, not as mere photo opportunities.

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That is where the energy should go.