Serbia and Kosovo will resume dialogue to normalize their relations on September 14

2023-08-31 20:41:54

Serbia y Kosovo will return to the dialogue table sponsored by the European Union to normalize their relations on September 14as announced on Thursday by the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell.

“On September 14, I will hold a new meeting of the high-level dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia as a facilitator of this dialogue to seek solutions,” Borrell said at a press conference at the end of an informal meeting of Union foreign ministers in Toledo. .

Borrell considered “very important” that ministersunder the Spanish presidency of the Council of the EU, “take stock of what is happening in the Balkans”.

The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, met on August 21 with the Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, and the Serbian President, Aleksandar Vucic, in Athens, where they attended an informal dinner with regional leaders convened by the Greek Prime Minister, Kyriacos Mitsotakis.

Then, Von der Leyen explained that he discussed with Kurti the need to reduce tensions in northern Kosovo, resume dialogue facilitated by the EU y implement the agreements on the normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia.

With Vucic he spoke of “the need for a constructive compromise to de-escalate the situation in northern Kosovo and Serbia’s progress on its path towards the EU”.

“Closer integration between the EU and the Western Balkans is vital, especially in the face of Russia’s war against Ukraine,” von der Leyen said at the time.

At the end of July, Kurti asked the EU withdraw “as soon as possible” the restrictive measures imposed on your country for not complying with the steps to reduce tensions in the north of Kosovar, populated by the Serb minority.

Specifically, the EU froze some European funds for Kosovo in June, among other measures.

Tensions increased at the end of May due to the refusal of the Kosovar Serbs to accept mayors from the Kosovar Albanian majority in the four northern municipalities populated by Serbs, who boycotted the elections last April and who protest daily in front of the town halls of three of those towns. .

The EU demands that Pristinae mayors hold office in other buildings until new elections are heldin which he calls for the unconditional participation of the Serbs.

It also demands the withdrawal of the Kosovar special policemen and the simultaneous withdrawal of the Serb protesters.

The Kosovar government promised in mid-July not to take actions that aggravate the situation and to reduce, as a first step, by 25% the presence of the special police in and around the town halls.

Instead, Serbia claims that Kurti does not want to ease the tension or hold new elections in the north of Kosovar, as requested by the EU, and denounces increasing intimidation and discrimination of Serbs in Kosovo by the authorities in Pristina.

The former Serbian-majority Albanian province of Kosovo declared independence in 2008, which Serbia does not recognize, and the EU, with US support, is mediating between the parties.