MADRID, 18 March (EUROPA PRESS) –
The presidents of Serbia and Kosovo reached an agreement to normalize bilateral relations this Saturday, after a twelve-hour marathon meeting mediated by the EU.
“I can declare that Kosovo and Serbia have agreed on the implementation of the annex to the agreement on the normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia,” said Josep Borrell, EU High Representative for Foreign Policy.
Borrell reminded that both Kosovo and Serbia have a strategic goal of joining the EU and that for this “Serbia and Kosovo should normalize their relations”. “This agreement is an important step towards making it a reality. We will continue to work tirelessly until we reach a comprehensive agreement to normalize relations,” Borrell said.
The head of EU Diplomacy underlined that this was a “prolonged and difficult” dialogue, but it resulted in “good faith” Kosovo’s commitment to “immediately” implement Article 7 of the agreement for self-implementation of the agreement. Governance mechanism for the Kosovo Serb population. “And when I say right away, I mean it right away,” Borrell stressed.
Likewise, Pristina agrees to “immediately” implement the notification on missing persons. “I have to admit that from the beginning we raised this issue as a non-negotiable point,” Borrell said.
“As the dialogue is not only about Kosovo and Serbia but also about “stability”, it is clear that the two sides will derive significant benefits from this agreement. “In the current geopolitical context, it is an important tool for maintaining peace and stability in the Western Balkans region.”
Borrell met with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti in Ohrid, North Macedonia.
Belgrade and Pristina have been negotiating in Brussels for decades, with little result and a poor record of implementing agreements already reached, under the weight of the conflicts resulting from the violent separation of Kosovo from Serbia in the late 1990s.
Source: Noti Merica
