The heads of Serbia and Kosovo have reached this Saturday an agreement for the normalization of bilateral relations after a marathon meeting of twelve hours with the mediation of the EU.
“I can announce that Kosovo and Serbia have agreed to the application of the annex to the agreement for the process of normalization of relations between the two, between Kosovo and Serbia,” announced the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Policy, Josep Borrell.
We have a deal
Kosovo and Serbia have agreed on the Implementation Annex of the Agreement on the path to normalization of relations
The parties have fully committed to honor all articles of the agreement and implement their respective obligations expediently and in good faith. pic.twitter.com/p3CUBdcd8A
— Josep Borrell Fontelles (@JosepBorrellF) March 18, 2023
Borrell recalled that both Kosovo and Serbia have the strategic objective of joining the EU and for this “Serbia and Kosovo need to normalize their relations”. “This agreement is an important step to make it happen. We are going to continue working tirelessly until we reach a comprehensive agreement for the normalization of their relations,” Borrell stressed.
The head of EU Diplomacy has highlighted that it has been a “protracted and difficult” dialogue, but “in good faith” that has concluded with a commitment by Kosovo to apply “immediately” Article 7 of the agreement for the implementation of a self-governance mechanism for the Kosovo Serb population. “And when I say immediately, I mean immediately,” Borrell stressed.
Likewise, Pristina undertakes to apply the declaration on missing persons “urgently”. “I have to admit that from the beginning we raised this issue as a non-negotiable point,” Borrell said, noting that “several creative proposals have been put forward, both on the signing and on the substance” of the agreement.
“It is clear that the two parties will obtain important benefits from this agreement because the dialogue is not only about Kosovo and Serbia”, but about “stability”, he has argued. “In the current geopolitical context it is an important tool to maintain peace and stability in the Western Balkans region,” she stressed.
Borrell has met with the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, and with the Kosovar Prime Minister, Albin Kurti, in the town of Ohrid, in North Macedonia.
Vucic has not signed anything new
Vucic, despite the agreement, has stressed that nothing new has been signed and has highlighted the formation of political institutions for the representation of the Serb minority in northern Kosovo.
“I have to say that I am very satisfied with this. There has been talk of missing persons, donor conferences. The plan must be expanded », he has indicated.
Vucic has also revealed that the European Council will be in charge of evaluating progress on the application of the agreement and has highlighted the “constructive atmosphere” of the negotiations. However, he has pointed out that it will already be Monday when he will explain the details of the agreement reached to his compatriots.
«Starting Monday I will receive the representatives of the parliamentary groups. We have serious work ahead of us, for the coming months,” he pointed out in statements collected by the Serbian media.
