Serbia and Kosovo accept EU proposal to normalize ties

Kateryna Saienko

The leaders of Serbia and Kosovo on Monday accepted the EU proposal to normalize the long-strained ties between the Balkan neighbors.

Progress was made today, the EU High Representative Josep Borrell said.

«Progress was made today, and I commend the parties for their engagement,» Borrell told the media.

«At the same time, more work is needed to ensure that what was accepted today by the parties will be implemented. It is important to agree (but) it is still more important to implement what has been agreed.»

The latest round of talks followed months of "shuttle diplomacy," with EU senior diplomats saying it was the first time the dialogue moved away from mere crisis management to actual discussions about normalisation.

Borrell said that a next meeting with Vucic and Kurti is slated to take place in March, with a focus on how to implement the plan.

The EU foreign policy chief also said that the two sides vowed not to take unilateral measures that could lead to tensions and put the agreement in jeopardy.

«This agreement is above all for the citizens of Kosovo and Serbia,» he said.

The EU-brokered document, initially supported by France and Germany and now backed by all 27 member states, was published by Borrell's diplomatic service on Monday night.

According to the 11-point text, without prejudicing recognition of each other's status, neither side will resort to violence to resolve a dispute nor seek to prevent the other from joining international bodies – a key demand from Kosovo.