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We welcome Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic of Serbia and Prime Minister Hashim Thaçi of Kosovo and to the Council andthank for their statements. We also thank Special Representative [and the Head of the United Nations Mission in Kosovo], Mr. Farid Zarif, for his briefing.  Mr. President,  Every three months over the past two years the Council members invariably note the positive developments in the region with irreversible changes taking place on the ground. We welcome the Kosovo authorities on the agreement on the coalition, and we hope the Government will be formed swiftly. We believe that the new government will continue building democratic, peaceful, economically successful and multi-ethnic Kosovo. We look forward to it continuing along the path of reforms and the process of normalisation of relations with Belgrade. It will have to focus on the rule of law, the fight against corruption and organized crime, as well as comprehensive reforms required for further progress on the State’s Euro-Atlantic path. 

Regional cooperation and good neighbourly relations form an essential part of Kosovo’s process of moving towards the EU. We gladly note the inclusion of Kosovo in various forms of regional cooperation, and we look forward to the next informal regional conference of ministers of foreign affairs and finance to be organised in Priština. 

Mr. President, 

Serbia and Kosovo need to move ahead with implementation of the First Agreement on Principles Governing Normalization of Relations of 19 April 2013, building the trust between communities. 

We note the progress achieved in integrated border management, telecommunication and energy through the EU-facilitated dialogue, and we encourage resuming high level talks as soon as possible. 

We welcome Mitrovica-Pristina cooperation in preparation of municipal elections and encourage resolving differences through the dialogue, including over construction in the ethnically mixed area of Kroi i Vatakut/Brdjani in North Mitrovica. 

Mr. President, 

Ensuring justice is essential for reconciliation. In this regard, we welcome the meeting of the Inter-ministerial Working Group on Dealing with the Past and Reconciliation, the first one in almost ten months, as well as steps taken towards an adoption of a comprehensive strategy on transitional justice. We commend Serbian, EULEX and Kosovo experts on the professional completion of repatriation of remains recovered in the mass grave in Rudnica. 

We call on the parties to expedite the process enabling the Specialist Court to look into cases stemming from the work of the EU Special Investigative Task Force (SITF) in 2015. 

We commend the efforts of Kosovo police and the security institutions in fighting terrorism through a series of anti-terrorist operations as well as legislative measures against foreign terrorist fighters. 

Mr. President, 

The situation in Kosovo remains calm and we commend the cooperation among the Kosovo police, EULEX and KFOR, including in managing incidents and launching measures to counter illegal logging. 

My delegation, however, would like to remind that a year ago the Lithuanian officer serving in EULEX was killed while on duty in northern Kosovo. We call on respective authorities to find perpetrators and bring them to justice. 

We continue supporting successful implementation of the EULEX mandate and its impartial assistance to Kosovo in consolidation of a sustainable and accountable Rule of Law sector. 

The recent allegations of corruption against the EULEX staff members have to be looked into immediately. We welcome a decision by the High Representative, Federica Mogherini, to appoint an independent legal expert in this regard. 

Finally, having noted the progress in implementing Belgrade-Pristina agreement and the Resolution 1244, Lithuania once again calls to review the current UNMIK reporting and debating cycles, with a view to reducing their frequency in 2015 as well as to consider the drawdowns in UNMIK reflecting developments on the ground. 

I thank you, Mr President.