The European Union announced, on Monday, that the leaders of Serbia and Kosovo had agreed to an agreement to normalize relations backed by the West.
“The two leaders agreed that there is no need for further talks on the agreement,” Josep Borrell, the European Union’s foreign policy chief, said in remarks following hosting talks in Brussels between Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Kosovar Prime Minister Albin Kurti.
But he added: “There is still a need for further negotiations on how to implement the agreement and the previous commitments made by the two sides.”
He explained that “the appendix for implementation is an integral part of the agreement and has not been finalized yet.”
“The agreement may open new economic horizons, attract more investments in Kosovo and Serbia, and also boost trade, because the certificates that were previously required for imports and exports are no longer necessary,” Borrell said.
EU officials said the aim of the agreement was to make life easier for the citizens of Kosovo and Serbia.
They explained that “through the agreement, official documents such as passports will be mutually recognized.”
Details of the normalization plan
The 11-article plan stipulates that “Serbia will not oppose Kosovo’s accession to any international organization,” which is a major request of Pristina, and also stipulates that “neither party will obstruct, or encourage others to impede, the other’s progress on its European path.”
The plan proposes granting “the Serb community in Kosovo an appropriate level of self-administration (…) and the possibility of obtaining financial support from Serbia,” a very sensitive point for Pristina, which refused to allow the Serb-majority municipalities in Kosovo to unite in an association supported by Belgrade, for fear of Serbian enclave undermines its sovereignty.
Article 1 of the draft agreement states that “the two parties will mutually recognize each other’s national documents and symbols, including passports, diplomas, vehicle license plates and customs stamps,” which will allow Kosovo and Serbian citizens to move freely.
He explained that a new “high-level” meeting would be held “during the month of March, and the European Union delegate will travel at this time to Belgrade and Pristina.”
“Both sides pledged not to allow unilateral steps that might undermine the process,” he said.
“The right way”
After the meeting, Kurti said, “I think we are on the right track to normalize relations with Serbia.”
He added, “I did not sign (the agreement) because the other party was not ready for that. I expressed my desire and interest in signing this text.”
For his part, the Serbian president wrote on his Instagram account, “The meeting was difficult, as expected. There is no surrender.”
conflict history
Kosovo, formerly a province of Serbia, declared its independence in 2008 following years of war in 1998 and 1999.
From 1999 to 2008, the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) administered the province, until it declared its independence.
During that war, NATO bombed Yugoslavia, which included, at the time, Serbia and Montenegro, to protect Kosovo with an Albanian majority.
The border areas between Kosovo and Serbia were witnessing tensions from time to time, the latest of which occurred last November when hundreds of Serbian police and judicial employees left their jobs, in protest once morest a decision preventing Serbs in Kosovo from using license plates issued from Belgrade, but Pristina backed down in the end.
On December 10, the border between the two countries witnessed disturbances when the Serbs set up roadblocks, in protest once morest the arrest of a former policeman suspected of involvement in attacks once morest Kosovar Albanian officers, which led to a halt to traffic at two border crossings.
The confrontations between the two neighbors in the Balkans over the years have raised fears of the return of the specter of war.
