• Serbia, Kosovo leaders back EU plan, top diplomat says (AP)
• Borrell: Kurti, Vucic agreed is no need for further talks on EU plan (media)
• Kurti: I did not sign today, as Vucic was not ready (media)
• Vucic: I insisted for Kosovo to form Association, Kurti refused (Albanian Post)
• EU Proposal – Agreement on path to normalisation between Kosovo and Serbia (media)
• Prior to Borrell, Kurti and Vucic met separately with Escobar (media)
• Abdixhiku: Kurti only has to agree on date of forming Association (media)
• Krasniqi: Kosovo lost recognition, gained association (media)
• Haradinaj: Accepting the French-German plan, a great achievement (media)
• PSD to organise anti-government protest because of Association (media)
• Pacolli: Two big countries will recognise Kosovo soon (Euronews Albania)
• Berlin Process Summit to take place in Tirana (Albanian Daily News)

Serbia, Kosovo leaders back EU plan, top diplomat says (AP)

The leaders of Serbia and Kosovo have given tacit approval to a European Union-sponsored plan to end months of political crises and help improve their ties longer-term, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said Monday after chairing talks between them.

Speaking alone at a news conference after a series of meetings in Brussels, Borrell told reporters that Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti “have today agreed that no further discussions are needed for the European Union proposal.”

Both countries want to join the EU, which has told them that they first need to sort out their differences.

Borrell provided few details about the talks — and reporters were not permitted to ask questions — except to say that “more work is needed” and that the two leaders would meet again next month.

Vucic said separately that “I hoped we would be able to agree to some compromises, but Mr. Kurti was not ready for that.” Vucic added that there was no talk about how to put the EU plan into action.

Kurti, for his part, said both leaders accepted the text but that the “Serb side was not ready to sign it.”

Tensions have simmered between Serbia and its former province since Kosovo unilaterally broke away in 2008; a move recognized by many Western countries but opposed by Serbia, with the backing of Russia and China. EU-brokered talks between them have made little headway in recent years.

Read more at: http://bit.ly/3xYilnA

Borrell: Kurti, Vucic agreed is no need for further talks on EU plan (media)

The head of foreign policy of the European Union Josep Borrell in the press conference after the meeting he held with the Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, and the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, has emphasized that the leaders of both countries have agreed that no further discussions are needed on the European Union proposal – a proposal that has the title: “Agreement on the path to normalisation between Kosovo and Serbia”.

Borrell has said that the parties have shown readiness to continue with the implementation of the agreements.

“And, since both leaders agreed that no more discussions are needed, the text of the Agreement will be published on the European External Action Service website shortly.

This Agreement is, above all, for the citizens of Kosovo and Serbia. It is not for the European Union: it is for the citizens of Kosovo and Serbia.

It sets out that people can move freely between Kosovo and Serbia using their own passports – mutually recognised – IDs and license plates. It entails that people can study and work without wondering whether their diplomas and where they obtained them may be an issue.

The Agreement can bring new economic opportunities through increased financial assistance, through business cooperation, and [through] new investments in Kosovo and Serbia.

It provides for better employment opportunities for everyone in Kosovo and Serbia without unnecessary bureaucracy. And it also means more trade, because certificates needed for import and export will not be an issue anymore.

For the Serbs in Kosovo, it means more security, certainty and predictability – when it comes to their protection and rights in Kosovo – including for the Serbian Orthodox Church and the Serbian cultural and religious heritage sites. More security, certainty and predictability.

I hope the Agreement can also be the basis to build much-needed trust and overcome the legacy of the past. Much-needed trust,” Borrell said.

Read more at: http://bit.ly/3SOYTDz

Kurti: I did not sign today, as Vucic was not ready (media)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti told media after his meeting with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic on Monday that although there was an accord, the agreement was not signed because the other side [Vucic] was not ready.

“I did not sign it because the other party was not ready. I have expressed my willingness and interest to sign this text,” Kurti said. “I also think it’s a shame why it wasn’t signed tonight since we agreed. The confirmation of the acceptance of this text should have ended with a signature, but it was the Serbian side that did not do this, even though we agreed,” stressed Prime Minister Kurti.

“Today we had a positive, constructive meeting in Brussels and this meeting was confirmation that the European proposal is acceptable and unchangeable. I said earlier that it is a good basis and now the further discussions, moving forward will be about the implementation plan, for which there will be shuttle diplomacy, but also the next high-level meeting, again with mediation or the facilitation of Mr. Borrell and Lajcak”.

He also emphasized that soon, the content of the proposal will be made known to the citizens, while adding that through it the neighborhood between Kosovo and Serbia is guaranteed.

“The implementation plan will be how to translate the agreement on the European proposal on the ground into the realities of the two states. I believe that it is time not to give dominant interpretations, precisely at the moment when this text will be read by everyone, but it is an agreement that fully establishes equality between the parties, symmetry and good neighborliness, always in a democratic way and in the future. Everyone will be able to read the agreed text,” Prime Minister Kurti said.

Vucic: I insisted for Kosovo to form Association, Kurti refused (Albanian Post)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic told reporters that after his meeting with Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti that the latter did not agree to talk about the formation of the Association of Serb-majority municipalities.

“It was a very difficult meeting. I will meet Kurti again. I insisted for Kosovo to form the Association, Kurti refused. I don’t think Kurti was ready to agree to this now. We will see if this will happen in the future. I hope that it will be possible to reach some sort of compromise, but I fear that we will get stuck in something that was signed a long time ago and which should have been implemented,” he said.

Vucic said he believes it will be possible to avoid unilateral actions that could jeopardise the lives of people on the ground and that work can be done on the implementation of agreements reached before. “We will continue in the next period, and I hope we will have many more conversations. From what I understand, we should be meeting in North Macedonia on March 18,” he said.

EU Proposal – Agreement on path to normalisation between Kosovo and Serbia (media)

The European Union has published the full text of the proposal for the normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia. The proposal has 11 articles. Below find the full text:

The Contracting Parties,

Conscious of their responsibility for the preservation of peace,

Committed to contribute to fruitful regional co-operation and security in Europe and to overcome the legacy of the past,

Aware that the inviolability of frontiers and respect for territorial integrity and sovereignty and the protection of national minorities are a basic condition for peace,

Proceeding from the historical facts and without prejudice to the different view of the Parties on fundamental questions, including on status questions,

Desirous to create the conditions for cooperation between the Parties for the benefit of the people,

Have agreed as follows:

Article 1

The Parties shall develop normal, good-neighbourly relations with each other on the basis of equal rights.

Both Parties shall mutually recognise their respective documents and national symbols, including passports, diplomas, licence plates, and customs stamps.

Article 2

Both Parties will be guided by the aims and principles laid down in the United Nations Charter, especially those of the sovereign equality of all States, respect for their independence, autonomy and territorial integrity, the right of self-determination, the protection of human rights, and non-discrimination.

Article 3

In conformity with the United Nations Charter, the Parties shall settle any disputes between them exclusively by peaceful means and refrain from the threat or use of force.

Article 4

The Parties proceed on the assumption that neither of the two can represent the other in the international sphere or act on its behalf.

Serbia will not object to Kosovo’s membership in any international organisation.

Article 5

Neither Party will block, nor encourage others to block, the other Party’s progress in their respective EU path based on their own merits. Both Parties shall respect the values referred to in Articles 2 and 21 of the Treaty of the European Union.

Read more at: http://bit.ly/3Yb7t0e

Prior to Borrell and Lajcak, Kurti and Vucic met separately with Escobar (media)

Before meeting the head of foreign policy of the European Union, Josep Borrell, and the EU envoy for the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, Miroslav Lajcak, the Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti and the president of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, also met separately with the U.S. special envoy for the Western Balkans, Gabriel Escobar.

According to the media, this proves the U.S. commitment to their dialogue and cooperation with the European Union in order to achieve a result.

“What they are saying in Brussels is that they expect the parties to be constructive and to reach an agreement on the European proposal for the basic agreement for the normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia and that they do not expect that there will be many discussions about the content of the proposal itself, but more to have discussions about the implementation of this agreement after it is accepted and to discuss the annexes which are related to the implementation, including the time limits that would be set in that case,” Brussels-based correspondent for Koha, Augustin Palokaj, said.

Palokaj also said that from the statements made by Kurti and Vucic it was seen that the European proposal is a final document which the parties can accept or not. According to him, what will be discussed are the issues of implementation.

The U.S. emissary for the Western Balkans Gabriel Escobar made a comment about the several-hour meeting between Prime Minister Albin Kurti and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic in Brussels. As he left the facility where the works were carried out in Brussels, he told Kanal 10 that “there is still a lot of work to be done,” regarding the issue of the agreement towards normalization between Kosovo and Serbia. He also said that more details will be given in a press conference on Tuesday arranged by the U.S. State Department, announced also by the U.S. Embassy through a press release.

Abdixhiku: Kurti only has to agree on date of forming Association (media)

Leader of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) Lumir Abdixhiku, said the prime minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, agreed on Monday in Brussels with the European proposal on the normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia, which has not yet been presented to the Assembly of Kosovo. He added that the concerns of the LDK, already made public, were confirmed.

Further, Abdixhiku, through a post on Facebook, said that this agreement is not final and does not contain mutual recognition.

“Furthermore, it maintains interpretive ambiguity on the political status of the two states. Everything but recognition – was Serbia’s goal. Everything but recognition has this agreement today, already accepted by the parties. The accepted document also foresees the implementation of all previous agreements – including the Association – as well as the special status for the Serbian Orthodox Church. The Prime Minister has only to agree on the date of establishment of the Association, since he, by accepting the implementation of the preliminary agreements, has agreed to establish it,” he said.

“LDK considers that the completely wrong management of the dialogue process by the Prime Minister of Kosovo during the last two years, has moved the dialogue process from a legally binding final agreement to a basic agreement, without recognition in it and with dialogue continuity for years in the future. The conclusion between the choice of such an agreement and the eventual isolation of Kosovo are the responsibility of this prime minister,” Abdixhiku wrote.

Krasniqi: Kosovo lost recognition, gained association (media)

Leader of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) Memli Krasniqi said on Monday that the conditions for reaching the final agreement were melted before the personal interests and ambitions for power of Prime Minister Albin Kurti. According to Krasniqi, Kosovo lost recognition and won the association.

“It must be said loudly and clearly: it is already officially evident that the European proposal does not provide for mutual recognition, as the main criterion for the normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia and the opening of the European perspective for our country.

There is no talk of recognition by the five non-recognizing countries of the EU, no talk of opening the way to membership in NATO, nor of obtaining candidate status for membership in the EU.

For two years in a row, we have supported Prime Minister Kurti in relation to Serbia. We have encouraged him to coordinate with our international allies and we have also offered him concrete proposals regarding the final agreement with mutual recognition at the center.

Ignoring every help and advice that has come from us, head on and contrary to the long-term interests of the Republic of Kosovo, Prime Minister Kurti, through wrong actions and policies, irreversibly degraded the dialogue process. Consequently, it enabled the withdrawal of the final agreement with mutual recognition at the center and brought the country an interim agreement with the association at the center.

In addition to the enormous increase in emigration as a result of bad governance, Prime Minister Kurti tonight also reduced the sovereignty of our state.

Therefore, February 27, 2023, for Kosovo, with Prime Minister Albin Kurti, marks a missed opportunity for our country to end the frozen conflict with Serbia forever.”

Haradinaj: Accepting the French-German plan, a great achievement (media)

Leader of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) Ramush Haradinaj said that the  French-German plan is a de facto acceptance of Kosovo’s independence, which returns to political and security normality.

“The agreement to accept the European proposal for the normalization of Kosovo-Serbia relations is a great achievement. The agreement is a factual acceptance of Kosovo’s independence, which returns to political and security normality, the Euro-Atlantic integration perspective and new recognitions.”

However, Haradinaj says that the next phase of the talks remains important.

“Equally important remains the next phase of talks on other open issues, for which I want to believe that the best solutions will be found, which would also close the chapter of ‘de jure’ recognition between Kosovo and Serbia,” Haradinaj wrote on Facebook.

PSD to organise anti-government protest because of Association (media)

The Social Democratic Party of Kosovo (PSD) has announced it will organise a protest against the Kurti-led government because of the Association of Serb-majority municipalities. “Protests against the government because we are against the Association. No one has the mandate for the Association. The resistance was social. We did not engage to change the people that implement the Association. If the government has changed irreversibly, then there should be either elections or a referendum. Otherwise, street protests. Against the government, because against the Association,” PSD leader Dardan Molliqaj wrote in a Facebook post.

Pacolli: Two big countries will recognise Kosovo soon (Euronews Albania)

Leader of the New Kosovo Alliance (AKR), Behgjet Pacolli, said in an interview with Euronews Albania that two big countries are expected to recognise Kosovo soon and that the names will be published in the coming days.

“Today I can tell you that I have two qualitative recognitions of countries which already recognise the passport of Kosovo. The names of these countries will be made public soon. These countries, which recognise the passport of Kosovo, are waiting for official delegations from Kosovo to visit them and establish diplomatic relations. These are two qualitative recognitions, two big states and I believe that their names will be announced soon,” Pacolli said.

Berlin Process Summit to take place in Tirana (Albanian Daily News)

Albania’s Prime Minister Edi Rama spoke at the media conference with his Montenegrin counterpart Dritan Abazovic about the joint projects between the two countries where, among other things, he gave the news that the Berlin Process Summit is expected to take place in Tirana in the autumn. Rama said that the date will be decided after the meeting he will hold in Berlin with the German chancellor Olaf Scholz.

“We have seen how the European Union has finally become more sensitive to the region, Albania and North Macedonia opened negotiations, Kosovo received a date for the liberalization of visas, Bosnia received candidate status or how a summit was held for the first time of the EU in Tirana or in Montenegro another summit. All these are positive but the EU is a common lane. I would like to thank the Prime Minister for his first-hand commitment to this whole process,” said Rama.