The Deputy Prime Minister of Kosovo, Besnik Bislimi, accused Serbia of continuing to refuse to implement the Agreement on the path towards the normalization of relations, one year after its conclusion.

On February 27, 2023, Kosovo and Serbia reached the Basic Agreement in Brussels, while on March 18 in Ohrid, agreement was reached on the Implementation Annex of the agreement.

The Agreement has not been signed, but the European Union – which mediates the dialogue process between Kosovo – stated that it is legally binding on the parties.

“When we should have been on the right path of full and unconditional implementation of the Brussels Agreement, we mark one year from the day it was agreed upon, and Serbia still refuses to sign and consequently implement the agreement. On the contrary, during this one-year period, we have faced Serbia’s violations, escalations on the ground, its verbal and official refusal of the agreement, and its continuous destructive approach,” wrote Bislimi on Facebook.

The 11-point Agreement provides for a level of self-governance for the Serbian community in Kosovo and mutual recognition of state symbols, while requiring Pristina and Belgrade to implement all previous agreements reached during the dialogue.

Brussels has accused both parties of non-compliance with the agreement.

Bislimi said that Serbia “blackmailed and threatened the Serbs” to boycott the local elections in the north in April last year, accused it of attacking institutions after the appointment of new Albanian mayors in the north, and violent protests in May last year.

He also mentioned the armed attack carried out by a group of Serbs against the Kosovo police in Banjska, Zvecan, for which Kosovo blames Serbia, but Belgrade denies involvement.

“In just one year, all these acts and behaviors have shown that Serbia strongly hinders progress towards full normalization of relations and reciprocal recognition,” said Bislimi.

Bislimi, who is Kosovo’s chief negotiator in the dialogue with Serbia, said Kosovo is committed to the “full, fair, and unconditional” implementation of the Basic Agreement and its Annex.

Of the 11 points of the Basic Agreement, so far, the parties have only implemented those related to missing persons and the recognition of license plates.

The dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia for the normalization of relations began in 2011. The process is mediated by the EU and supported by the United States.