The President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, and the Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, travel andAugust 18 to Brussels at the invitation of the head of European diplomacy to discuss how to decrease the return of tension in the region.
“Josep Borrell invited both parties to be in Brussels. President Vucic and Prime Minister Kurti accepted his invitation and will meet on August 18 with the High Representative and Special Envoy of the European Union (EU) for the region, Miroslav Lajcák to discuss the way forward in the framework of the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristinasaid community spokesman for external affairs Peter Stano.
The region is experiencing episodes of tension and the climate has worsened in northern Kosovo following Pristina’s decision to impose temporary residence permits on people who enter Kosovar territory with a Serb identity document, and to force Kosovar Serbs to replace their vehicle registrations with plates from the Republic of Kosovo.
Kosovo delays new entry rules at border with Serbia after tense Sunday
Under pressure from the West, in particular from the United States, Kosovo’s main ally, the authorities in Pristina decided to delay for a month, until September 1, the entry into force of the new regulations on the border with Serbia.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg was in contact with the two leaders and warned that NATO’s force on the ground (KFOR) is ready to intervene.”if stability is threatened” for the riots.
KFOR, with 3,775 soldiers, has the mandate “provide a safe and secure climate and ensure freedom of movement for the benefit of all communities in Kosovo“.
Relations between Belgrade and Pristina are characterized by Serbia’s refusal to recognize the independence of Kosovo —self-proclaimed in 2008, nine years after a bloody war that left some 13,000 dead— and ended in 1999 after a NATO intervention against Serbia and Montenegro in the absence of the UN.
The last episode of tensions occurred in September 2021 after Pristina’s decision to ban Serbian identity recordsand two border posts were blocked for several days.
Independent Kosovo has been recognized by 117 countries, including the United States, which maintains a strong influence under Kosovar leadership, and most EU member states, with the exception of Spain (due to separatist whims in Catalonia and the Basque Country). , Romania, Greece, Slovakia and Cyprus.
Serbia still considers Kosovo an integral part of its territory, and Belgrade benefits from the support of Russia and China, which like dozens of other countries (including India, Brazil or South Africa) have not recognized independence either.
Serbia and Kosovo have expressed their intention to join the EU.
Belgrade obtained candidate status and operations since 2014while Pristina is considered a “potential candidate” by Brussels.
Source: Observadora
