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Mr. President,I thank Mr. Ivica Dacic, First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia, and Mr. Enver Hoxhaj, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Republic of Kosovo for their statements. I also thank Mr. Farid Zarif, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, for the update.  In the last few years we have witnessed many positive developments in the region. The historic agreement between Belgrade and Pristina was one of the most salient examples of the progress. The successful implementation of it will have a positive effect on the normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia as well as on the overall stability in the region. We strongly encourage Belgrade and Pristina to continue working hard in translating the agreements into results on the ground and building the trust between communities. 

Lithuania welcomes the smooth conduct of the parliamentary elections that were held throughout Kosovo, including in the North. Elections were transparent, well-organized, and they consolidated the progress made in the 2013 municipal elections. 

The voter turnout – 42 per cent - all over Kosovo, including among the Serbian community in the northern part, was high. It encourages Belgrade and Pristina to continue efforts to normalize their relations. We would like to express our hope that the government will be formed as swiftly as possible and that it will respond to the expectations formulated by population during these elections, in particular with respect to strengthening the rule of law and economic development. 

We welcome the accession of Kosovo to Venice Commission. Upon this membership, Kosovo will benefit in terms of further strengthening of democracy. 

Mr. President, 

Kosovo has the right to ensure security within its own territory. KFOR continues to contribute to the maintenance of peace and stability on the ground, while EULEX plays a key role in the consolidation of the rule of law. We welcome the extension of the EULEX mandate for another two years. 

The lack of security affects the functioning of the institutions and international actors as well as day-to-day life of people. We look forward to thorough investigations of the incident of 19 September 2013 when a EULEX Lithuanian officer was killed. We call on respective authorities to find perpetrators and bring them to justice. 

We welcome the decision to create the specialist court on alleged crimes to look into cases stemming from the work of the EU Special Investigative Task Force (SITF) and the statement of findings, presented by its Lead Prosecutor Mr. Clint Williamson. We commend Mr. Williamson’s efforts in carrying out a difficult and important work, as well as cooperation by the partners, including the Government of Kosovo. The investigative work should continue. 

We expect that the Special Court will be fully functional in 2015 and it will bring those responsible for crimes against humanity and war crimes to account and ensure belated justice for victims and survivors. 

The support of international community in guiding the transformation process in Western Balkans proved to be vital. Kosovo seems to be a good example of how important results can be achieved when there is a concerted action among different international donors and actors. 

Finally, given the progress thus far my delegation believes that there’s a need to reviewing the current UNMIK reporting cycle at the Council, with a view to reducing its frequency, and considering the drawdowns in UNMIK reflecting developments on the ground. 

I thank you.