OHRID: Serbia and Kosovo leaders came together Saturday for the latest round of European Union-led talks, as the long-time opponents come under enormous pressure to strike a deal to normalize relations.
The meeting in North Macedonia comes after both sides failed to reach an agreement in Brussels in February, where the peace plan was unveiled even as Prime Minister of Kosovo Albin Kurti and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic remained poles apart over the issue.
The 11-point document had a deal stating that neither side would turn to violence to resolve a dispute, nor tried to prevent the other from joining the European Union (EU) or other international bodies, a major demand from Kosovo.
Serbia has long refused to recognize the unilateral declaration of independence of Kosovo made in 2008, with perennial bouts of unrest occurring between Belgrade and its former breakaway province.
After the talks in Brussels, Vucic vowed never to recognize Pristina or give a pathway that assist them to join the United Nations or the NATO alliance.
Before the summit hosted by European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, Vucic noted,
“I don’t plan on signing anything,” He told media Thursday, adding the meeting “will not be historic or groundbreaking”.
The recent round of talks followed months of shuttle diplomacy, for about 25 years after the war between ethnic Albanian insurgents and the Serbian military incited a NATO bombing campaign that ended the conflict.
On Tuesday, Kosovo’s Kurti expressed he was hopeful about the signing of the deal but put the onus of signing the agreement with President Vucic.
“If it will succeed or not, you know pretty very well that it does not depend only on me,” Kurti told media persons.
Possibility of success in EU-backed talks
Experts said signing the agreement itself would not signal an ultimate breakthrough.
“I expect both sides to agree on the implementation plan. I can’t say it’s huge because the big thing will happen only when the plan is implemented,” expressed Dusan Milenkovic from the think tank Center for Social Dialogue and Regional Initiatives.
The administration of Kurti hopes that a deal would allow for Kosovo’s entry into international bodies, a long-awaited goal for the government in Pristina.
Serbia’s Vucic expressed his government is under immense pressure to come to an understanding while referring to his domestic rivals that he will not provide space.
Kosovo remains an obsession among a large portion of the Serbian population, who believe about the territory is their own homeland that has come under attack by outsiders for hundreds of years.
On Friday, in the Serbian capital Belgrade, thousands came to the streets against striking a deal with Kosovo.
Kosovo is home to about 120,000 Serbs, many of whom remain loyal to Belgrade, particularly in northern areas adjacent to the border with Serbia where there are numerous bouts of turmoil, occasional violence, and protests.
