TIRANA, July 13 – Prime Minister of Kosovo Avdullah Hoti, and the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vuçiç concluded a video-conference mediated by the European Union on Sunday, which marked the resumption of suspended normalization talks since the fall of 2018.
Although they were initially expected to meet face-to-face in Brussels, the physical meeting was postponed until Thursday this week.
The special envoy for the Kosovo-Serbia talks, Miroslav Lajcak, said that this meeting brought the dialogue back on track after a 20 month-long period.
“I am glad to say that after the Paris summit and today’s meeting the EU-facilitated dialogue on comprehensive normalization of relations between Serbia and Kosovo is back on track after 20 months,” he stated.
European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said before the meeting that the talks aimed at a final, comprehensive and legally binding agreement to normalize relations between the two sides.
“Such an agreement is essential for a better future for the citizens of Kosovo and Serbia, it is essential for their European future, for the security and stability of the region. But all this is also essential for the European Union “, he said, emphasizing that it is not an easy job but it is urgent to work for peace and progress for the sake of a common future.
“This task requires political courage on both sides. It requires commitment and engagement in the spirit of compromise and pragmatism, “said Mr. Borrell.
Two days ago, the leaders of Kosovo and Serbia took part in a video conference hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, where they agreed to resume talks but did not agree on any way to normalize relations between one another.
During the Summit, Prime Minister Hoti announced that Kosovo’s territorial integrity is inviolable and cannot be part of negotiations. He added that Kosovo’s constitutional order cannot be changed and the final agreement with Serbia must be in full compliance with the Constitution of the Republic of Kosovo.
Furthermore, Hoti said that the final agreement between Kosovo and Serbia should result in the former landing a seat in the UN, thus having its independence status recognized by the five member states which currently do not. The PM noted said that justice should be provided for all victims of violence perpetrated by Serbia during the war.
However, to President Vucic, these principles constitute an ultimatum.
The plan to resume talks mediated by the European Union was revealed over a week after the Special Prosecutor Office announced a ten-count indictment against Kosovo President Hashim Thaci and Democratic Party leader Kadri Veseli, on the charges of crimes against humanity and war crimes.
The allegations were made on the eve of the Kosovo-Serbia White House meeting scheduled for June 27 to be brokered by Ambassador Richard Grenell, President Donald Trump’s special envoy for the Kosovo-Serbia peace talks. However, as a result of the indictment, the meeting was cancelled although Ambassador Grenell announced that a new date for the meeting would be set soon.
EU-mediated Kosovo-Serbia talks began in 2011 and provided a range of agreements but did not meet the goal of normalizing relations between the two countries. Since then, the EU-mediated dialogue has been on hold since late 2018 partly due to Kosovo’s government imposing a 100% trade tariff on all Serbian goods at the time. With former PM Kurti’s government in power, the tax was replaced with reciprocity measures which was not well-received by the U.S.
