Serbia and Kosovo accept EU plan to normalize relations

The leaders of Serbia and the partially recognized republic of Kosovo backed the EU-proposed deal on the path to normalizing relations. This was announced by the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, after talks in Brussels on February 27.
However, according to Borrell, this is only a preparation to start implementing the agreement, which will require further negotiations. At the same time, the Serbian and Kosovar parties have promised not to take unilateral measures that could lead to tensions and jeopardize the conclusion of an agreement, Borrell stressed.
Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti said after the talks he was ready to sign the deal on February 27, Reuters reports. Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić believes further consultations are needed. At the same time, Vucic noted that in his opinion, the Kosovo authorities are not ready for compromises.
The agreement reached by the leaders of Serbia and Kosovo includes 11 articles. It specifies that the parties have agreed to “develop normal relations of good neighborliness between them on the basis of equality”, to “recognize each other’s documents (passports) and national symbols”, to “resolve any dispute among themselves exclusively by peaceful means”. ” and will not block each other’s path to the European Union.
In addition, the text of the agreement states that Serbia will not oppose Kosovo’s membership in any international organization, including the UN, and that both parties “undertake to establish mechanisms and guarantees to ensure an appropriate level of autonomy for the Serbian community”. in Kosova.”
On the eve of the Brussels talks, the EU plan to resolve relations between Belgrade and Pristina was backed by the United States.
At the same time, part of the pro-Russian Serbian opposition demanded that President Aleksandar Vucic not sign any agreement to normalize relations with Kosovo until the end of the Ukrainian crisis. Russian Ambassador to Belgrade Alexander Botsan-Kharchenko expressed the same position in an interview with the Beta agency. He said that the status of Kosovo will be determined in “other geopolitical conditions” – after the end of the “conflict with the West on the territory of Ukraine”. According to the Russian ambassador, the plan proposed by the EU is unacceptable for Serbia, because it actually requires Belgrade to recognize the independence of Kosovo, writes Kommersant.
In 2008, the Republic of Kosovo unilaterally declared independence from Serbia. It has been recognized by many EU countries and the United States, as well as most UN member countries, but dozens of countries, including Russia, Ukraine, China, India and several EU countries still refuse to recognize Kosovo. Since 2013, Belgrade and Pristina have been trying to resolve their relations through EU mediation.
The conflict between Serbia and Kosovo escalated in July this year when Pristina decided to introduce temporary documents for incoming Serbian citizens and demanded that the Serbian minority replace their old Serbian license plates with ones local. In late November, with EU mediation, Kosovo and Serbia settled the license plate dispute, but conflicts continued to erupt in the region.