The meeting between the Serbian president and the Kosovar prime minister held this Thursday in Brussels ended without agreement on the current dispute, revealed at the end the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, who guaranteed not to give up on a solution.
In a press release without questions, after having mediated a high-level meeting that lasted several hours, the EU High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy said that “unfortunately, it was not possible to reach an agreement” to resolve the ongoing dispute between Serbia and Kosovoregarding Pristina’s decision to prevent the use of Serbian identity cards and license plates on the territory of Kosovo.
Borrell stressed, however, that the two leaders, the president of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, and the prime minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, agreed continue negotiations “in the coming days” and said he believed in a compromise before September 1.
Noting that this was the third meeting at the highest level in the framework of the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina facilitated by the EU with a view to normalizing relations between Serbia and Kosovo, Borrell stressed, however, that “it was not about a normal, ordinary meeting. meeting”, pointing out that it was a meeting “in crisis management mode”, to discuss “the very negative developments on the ground and rising tensions in northern Kosovo.”
The head of EU diplomacy indicated that the meeting focused mainly on the “responsibility of both leaders to seek solutions in good faith, to guarantee peace and stability in the region”, adding that “the parties will be responsible for any escalation” of the voltage crisis
The Spanish official pointed out that the current tensions “are symptoms of broader unresolved issues” and commented that “today it happened there”, in the north of Kosovo, “but tomorrow it could happen elsewhere, because there is an underlying problem” that the parties have to settle. definitely
I think they both realized that there is no alternative to dialogue. There are undoubtedly big differences between the two, especially in the state of the future relationship. But they both agreed to continue discussions on a regular basis,” he said.
Josep Borrell revealed that he also made the two leaders see that this is “a critical moment for Europe”, and the least propitious for the return of tensions in the Western Balkans.
We see the return of war to our continent. Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, we are facing a dramatic and very dangerous moment for our continent. And this is not the time for escalating tensions. It is time to seek solutions and resolve long-standing issues, ”he declared, guaranteeing that this dispute is at the top of his agenda.
“By closing the meeting, I also made it clear that EU membership must remain the main objective of Serbia and Kosovo, but for this they have to find a way to move forward in the process of normalizing relations, and the first step is find a solution to the current situation”, he concluded.
Thursday’s Brussels dialogue between Vucic and Kurti was called by Josep Borrell following the upsurge in tension between the two countries at the end of July, when hundreds of Kosovar Serbs blocked roads in northern Kosovo along the border in protest at the decisions of the Kosovar Government on the implementation of measures to prevent the use of Serbian identity documents and registrations on the territory of Kosovo.
Tensions on the border between Kosovo and Serbia. NATO warns that it is ready to intervene if necessary
Last Thursday, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic accused the Kosovar authorities of preparing the conditions to assassinate Serb citizens in northern Kosovo.
Recently, the Kosovar prime minister, Albin Kurti, suggested the possibility that Serbia, “prompted by Russia”, start “a war” in Kosovo.
Source: Observadora
