Serbia, Kosovo leaders’ talk starts in Brussels

BRUSSELS

A high-level meeting between Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti started on Thursday at the headquarters of the EU diplomatic service.

The negotiations – officially called the EU-facilitated Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue – were convened by EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell following border tensions earlier this month.

“Recent tensions in the north of Kosovo have demonstrated yet again that it is time to move forward towards full normalization,” Borrell said in a Twitter message, announcing the start of the meeting.

He stressed he expects “both leaders to be open and flexible to find a common ground.”

On Wednesday evening, the EU’s special representative for the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue Miroslav Lajcak met Vucic and Kurti.

Earlier on Wednesday, Vucic and Kurti also held separate talks with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg.

He also urged both leaders to show restraint and “avoid unhelpful rhetoric” to prevent the escalation of the tensions.

Stoltenberg also demanded that Vucic and Kurti engage in a constructive talk at the EU-facilitated dialogue, underlining that it is the right way to find a solution for both communities.

Tensions between Serbia and Kosovo increased earlier this month because of Kosovo’s planned implementation of a new law making it mandatory for everyone, including Serbs living in Kosovo, to have a Kosovo ID card and license plate.

Kosovo, however, has delayed the new measures until Sept. 1.

Launched in 2011, the EU-led Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue aims to normalize relations between the Western Balkan neighbors.

The last high-level meeting with the participation of Kurti and Vucic took place on June 15, 2021.

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

Serbia continues to see Kosovo as its own territory.