European Union foreign minister Josep Borrell on Monday reported “progress” in normalizing relations between Kosovo and Serbia, but a new meeting will be needed to sign the draft agreement approved by the former enemies and ensure its implementation.
“Progress has been made today, but there is still work to be done to ensure that what has been agreed will be implemented,” said Josep Borrell, following a meeting in Brussels with the Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti, to discuss a plan proposed by the EU.
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The draft agreement to achieve a de facto normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia was published by Josep Borrell following the meeting. The plan, which has eleven articles, provides that “Serbia will not oppose Kosovo’s membership of an international organization”, a key request from Pristina, and “that neither side will block or encourage the others to block the other party’s progress on its European course’.
It also proposes granting “an appropriate level of self-management for the Serbian community in Kosovo (…) and the possibility of financial support from Serbia”. This is a delicate point for Pristina, which has been reluctant to allow Kosovo Serb-majority municipalities to unite in an association supported by Belgrade, fearing the creation of a enclave that would undermine its sovereignty.
Perennial tensions
Article 1 of the plan further provides that “the parties recognize each other’s national documents and symbols, including passports, diplomas, license plates and customs stamps”. The two leaders accepted the principle of the implementation of this “agreement for normalization”, but “new negotiations are still necessary on the modalities of this implementation”, announced Josep Borrell.
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A new meeting will be organized in March and the EU envoy Miroslav Lajcak will continue his shuttles between Belgrade and Pristina in the coming weeks, he said. “It is important to agree. It is even more important to implement what has been agreed and this is what still needs to be finalized,” stressed Josep Borrell.
Tensions between Belgrade and Pristina are still alive nearly 25 years following a deadly war between Albanian independence rebels and Serbian forces. A conflict that ended with a NATO bombing campaign.
Serbia refuses to recognize the independence proclaimed in 2008 by its former province whose population of 1.8 million inhabitants, overwhelmingly of Albanian origin, includes a Serbian minority of around 120,000 people. Relations between Belgrade and Pristina have been going from crisis to crisis for years.
“I think we are on the right track to normalize relations with Serbia,” said Albin Kurti. “I didn’t sign (the agreement) because the other side wasn’t ready to do so. I expressed my will and my interest in signing this text,” he said. For his part, Aleksandar Vucic described “a difficult meeting, as expected”. “There is no capitulation,” he assured on his Instagram account, captioning a photo of the meeting with Albin Kurti and Josep Borrell.
“Sit and Work”
The tone adopted by Aleksandar Vucic contrasted with that of Albin Kurti. Monday’s talks were “nothing special”, commented the Serbian president who, before leaving Belgrade, had assured his detractors that there would be “no capitulation”. “We don’t have a roadmap, ladies and gentlemen, we don’t. We have to sit down and work on the roadmap,” he continued.
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Last month, the Serbian president publicly said he had received an ultimatum from Western countries to normalize relations with Kosovo, failing which Serbia would face serious consequences.
The question of Kosovo remains obsessive for some of the 6.7 million Serbs who consider this territory as their national and religious cradle, where crucial battles have been fought over the centuries.
Many members of the Serb minority in Kosovo refuse all loyalty to Pristina with encouragement from Belgrade. This is particularly true in the north, near the border with Serbia, the scene of frequent clashes, demonstrations and sometimes violence.
