Serbia and Kosovo agreed on a plan to normalize relations between the two countries. The plan was drawn up by the European Union. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell announced on Saturday evening after 12 hours of negotiations that the two countries agreed. He also warned that there are still issues on which the two parties do not agree.
Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia in 2008, but the country does not recognize the sovereignty of its former province. This still causes tensions on a regular basis. At the end of 2022, tensions between Serbs and Albanians in northern Kosovo were running high. This happened after the arrest of a former police officer of Serbian origin.
Borrell held talks for the first time with Kosovar Prime Minister Albin Kurti and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic. Those conversations were separate from each other. Then the three parties entered into a discussion. “Despite the differences of opinion, it was a decent conversation,” Burrell said. It was alleged that Kosovo pledged some form of autonomy to Kosovo’s ethnic Serbs during the talks.
Serbia does not have to recognize Kosovo’s independence in the EU plan. However, the state must accept the existing limits. And Serbia should not frustrate Kosovo’s desire to join the United Nations.
