The Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, held discussions with the chief of European Union diplomacy, Josep Borrell, as well as the EU\u2019s Special Envoy for the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, Miroslav Laj\u010d\u00e1k, regarding the dialogue process and the normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia, the Prime Minister\u2019s Office announced late on Friday.<\/p>\n
Kurti, together with Kosovo\u2019s Foreign Minister, Donika G\u00ebrvalla, held a bilateral meeting at the Munich Security Conference with Borrell and Laj\u010d\u00e1k, according to the announcement.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn light of continuous violations by Serbia, the terrorist and paramilitary attack in Banjska against Kosovo\u2019s territorial integrity and national security, the letters and continuous public statements questioning the legal enforceability of the agreement for Serbia, and the incomplete implementation of the Basic Agreement reached in Brussels and its Annex in Ohrid, the signing of agreements has become necessary as a guarantee of full respect and implementation of them, towards the full normalization of relations between the two countries,\u201d said Kurti.<\/p>\n
He referred to a statement by the Prime Minister of Serbia, Ana Brnabi\u0107, who said in December that her country would not implement all the agreements it had agreed with Kosovo.<\/p>\n
Since 2011, the EU has been mediating the dialogue for the normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia. This process is also supported by the United States.<\/p>\n
Last year, the parties reached the Agreement on the path to the normalization of relations and its Implementation Annex. Despite international pressure for the parties to implement the agreement, the European bloc has said it is not being implemented.<\/p>\n
The EU has stated that the agreement, which is not signed, is binding on the parties.<\/p>\n
Serbian President Aleksandar Vu\u010di\u0107 was also in Munich. However, a joint meeting between Kurti and Vu\u010di\u0107 with the European mediator of the dialogue was not on the agenda, Borrell said earlier.<\/p>\n
The Prime Minister also called for the lifting of \u201cunfair\u201d restrictive measures imposed by the European Union, according to the announcement.<\/p>\n
Last summer, the EU took punitive measures against Kosovo, including the cancellation of some funds and high-level meetings, because Kosovo did not comply with some of its requests to escalate the situation in the northern part of the country, inhabited by a Serb majority.<\/p>\n
Tensions in northern Kosovo, inhabited by a Serb majority, have escalated since May 26, 2023, when the Kosovo Police assisted Albanian mayors of the municipalities of Zvecan, Zubin Potok, and Leposavic in taking over municipal facilities, despite the resistance of local residents.<\/p>\n
These mayors were elected on April 23 of that year, elections that were boycotted by Serbian parties and the local population.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, held discussions with the chief of European Union diplomacy, Josep Borrell, as well as the EU\u2019s Special Envoy for the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, Miroslav Laj\u010d\u00e1k, regarding the dialogue process and the normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia, the Prime Minister\u2019s Office announced late on Friday. Kurti, together with […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":66161,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[163],"tags":[865,308,1280,300,1929,243,151,383,428],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n