Serbia-Kosovo summit to settle relations begins

Top representatives from the European Union (EU), Serbia and Kosovo met on Saturday in the North Macedonian resort of Ohrid. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti are negotiating an agreement that will comprehensively regulate relations between the two Balkan states. The EU is represented by its foreign policy chief Josep Borrell and the Special Envoy for the Balkans, Miroslav Lajcak.

Now inhabited almost exclusively by Albanians, Kosovo broke away from Serbia in 1999 with NATO help and declared independence in 2008. To this day, Serbia has not recognized this.

Under the planned agreement, Belgrade will not recognize Kosovo under international law, but will recognize the state of its former province. In particular, it is supposed to recognize Kosovo’s passports, number plates and customs documents, which it has failed to do to this day. Kosovo, in turn, should institutionally guarantee the rights of the Serbian ethnic group in the country.

At a first meeting on 27 February, both sides verbally approved the draft agreement presented by the EU on the basis of a Franco-German proposal. Negotiations on Saturday are about specific deadlines and dates to implement the individual points of the agreement. Borrell wanted to reach a comprehensive agreement by the next EU summit next week in Brussels.

For the nationalist Vucic, any relaxation of the tough stance against Pristina represents a political risk. Before Saturday’s meeting, he had repeatedly said in Serbia: “I have not signed anything and will not sign anything.” Kurti, in turn, is under pressure from a Kosovar Albanian population and voters opposed to concessions to the Serbian community. (aeg/sda/dpa)