Kosovar, Serbian leaders to hold talks in Brussels on Aug. 18

BRUSSELS

The leaders of Kosovo and Serbia will hold talks in Brussels on Aug. 18, an EU official confirmed on Friday.

Kosovar Prime Minister Albin Kurti and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic both accepted the invitation of EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, the lead spokesperson of the bloc's diplomatic service, Peter Stano, announced.

The leaders will meet with Borrell and the EU's special representative for Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, Miroslav Lajcak, on Aug. 18 in the EU capital.

"The aim is to get together in Brussels and to take the dialogue between Pristina and Belgrade forward," Stano underlined.

He stressed that it is "very much needed" to continue talks on the highest level since two years have passed since the leaders of the two countries took part in negotiations with each other.

Tensions between Belgrade and Pristina escalated on Sunday ahead of Kosovo's planned implementation of a new law making it mandatory for everyone, including Serbs living in Kosovo, to have a Kosovar ID card and license plate.

Later, Kosovo announced that it had decided to delay the new measures until Sept. 1.

Vucic called for dialogue to resolve issues with Kosovo.

Launched in 2011, the EU-led Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue aims to normalize relations between the two Balkan countries and find a mutually agreeable solution for their disputes in the framework of a legally binding agreement.

Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia in 2008, with most UN members, including the US, UK, France, Germany, and Türkiye, recognizing it as a separate autonomous country from its neighbor.