Serbia, Kosovo fail again to agree on normalization of relations

BELGRADE, Serbia

Serbia and Kosovo failed to make progress on normalizing relations in talks Thursday in Brussels.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti met separately with European leaders in the Belgian capital.

Vucic told reporters after his meeting that Serbia wants all agreements with Kosovo to be implemented but they will not accept Kosovo's independence.

"We want peace in the entire region and we will continue to act responsibly in this regard,'' he said.

He added that they will do their best to show the world how serious they are and who deserves the trust of the international community.

European Council President Charles Michel, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni held separate meetings with Vucic and Kurti.

Kurti said in a statement that Vucic refused to sign an agreement with Kosovo.

"Accepting means signing. Only signing means accepting and guarantees implementation,'' he said.

Vucic and Kurti also held separate meetings during the day with European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell and the EU Special Representative for the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue, Miroslav Lajcak.

Launched in 2011, the EU-led Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue aims to find a mutually agreeable solution for disputes in the framework of a legally binding agreement.

Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia in 2008, with most UN member states including the US, the UK, France, Germany and Türkiye recognizing it as an autonomous country.

Serbia, however, still considers Kosovo as its territory.