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The US Assistant Secretary of State, Jim O'Brien, said that the non-implementation of the agreements between Kosovo and Serbia "is a missed opportunity by both countries".
He made these comments in a post on the X network sharing the statement of European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, after efforts on Wednesday for a joint meeting with the leaders of Kosovo and Serbia in Brussels failed after Kosovo refused. to participate and set some conditions for a tripartite meeting.
"First, the formalization of the basic agreement through the signature by the leaders of the respective states and governments. Secondly, the withdrawal of the letter officially submitted to the EU by the former Prime Minister (Serbian Ana) Bërnabič, dated December 13, 2023. And thirdly, the handing over of Milan Radojčič and his paramilitary-terrorist group to the judicial authorities of Kosovo", he quoted. Mr. Borrell's conditions for Mr. Kurti, who for his part said that it is a matter of "guarantees of good faith and goodwill which enable the implementation of the agreements".
Announcing the continuation of the talks between the parties at the level of the heads of state, next week, Mr. Borrell said that the European Union will continue to make all efforts to normalize relations between Kosovo and Serbia.
Mr O'Brien said Wednesday's meeting "underscored the fact that parties need to re-commit to tackling problems and pursuing opportunities within the EU-facilitated Dialogue".
. @JosepBorrellF ’s meetings today with ???????? @predsednikrs & ???????? @albinkurti highlight how the parties must recommit to tackling problems and pursuing opportunities within the EU-facilitated Dialogue. Non-implementation of past agreements is indeed a lost opportunity for both parties.
— Assistant Secretary Jim O'Brien (@StateEUR) June 27, 2024
The last meeting between Prime Minister Kurti and President Vucic was held in September last year, a few days before the events of September 24, when a group of armed Serbs attacked the Kosovo police in the village of Banjska in the north, killing a police officer.
The event raised concerns about stability in the region, and Western diplomacy was set to try to push the parties to implement the agreement on the normalization of relations between them, which the parties agreed to in February and March of 2023 in Brussels and Ohrid.
The agreement does not envisage mutual recognition, but requires good neighborly relations, recognition of documents and symbols and respect for each other's sovereignty and territorial integrity, which is considered de facto but not de jure recognition of Kosovo by Serbia. The agreement requires that the parties do not hinder each other in the integration processes as well as fulfill all the agreements previously reached between them.
On October 27 of last year, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in a joint statement asked Kosovo to start the procedure for establishing the Association of Municipalities with a Serbian majority, while Serbia to recognize 'de -facto' citizenship of Kosovo, which means the implementation of the principles of the Brussels and Ohrid agreement.
However, the process of establishing the Association has not yet started, while Serbia said that it will not implement the parts of the agreement that lead to the 'de facto' or 'de jure' recognition of Kosovo.
The European Union has emphasized several times that the agreement, although not signed, is legally binding for both parties and progress towards their European integration depends on its implementation.
Mr. Borrell, referring to the Russian aggression in Ukraine, said on Wednesday that "in a period of unprecedented conflict on our continent, reaching an agreement on peace, stability and good neighborliness is of the utmost importance"./VOA
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