• United States welcomes accord between Kosovo and Serbia (media)
• State Department urges Kosovo and Serbia to immediately implement their agreement (The Pavlovic Today)
• EU publishes Implementation Annex of Kosovo-Serbia agreement (media)
• Osmani: Accommodative approach towards Serbia should change (media)
• NATO: Kosovo and Serbia to implement what they agreed on (RTK)
• Hovenier on talks in Ohrid: An important agreement has been reached (media)
• Germany congratulates Kosovo and Serbia (media)
• UNMIK chief Ziadeh welcomes progress made in Ohrid (media)
• Ohrid Agreement, Slovak Foreign Minister promises support (RTK)
• Turkey welcomes Ohrid agreement between Kosovo and Serbia (media)
• Kosovo and Serbia agree to EU plan to normalise relations (Financial Times)
• Despite ‘Difficult’ Talks, Kosovo And Serbia Reach Agreement On Normalizing Ties (RFE)
• Krasniqi: Kurti accepted everything he had promised not to accept (media)
• PSD to protest on Saturday, demands Kurti’s resignation (media)
• Smoke and mirrors make confusion, not peace (peacefare.net)
• Petritsch: Implementation leads to normalisation and recognition (RFE)
• “Kurti couldn’t refuse!” Analyst: He grew politically with the Association (euronews.al)
• Vucic: Serbia ready to work on implementation up to its red lines (Tanjug)
• Opposition criticizes Vucic after Ohrid talks: Citizens are deceived (N1)

United States welcomes accord between Kosovo and Serbia (media)

All media cover a press statement by U.S. Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, “welcoming the accord Kosovo and Serbia reached through European Union facilitation on the implementation of their February 27 Agreement on the Path to Normalization of Relations.”

Blinken said: “We commend the President of Serbia and Prime Minister of Kosovo for their leadership in reaching this agreement.  Fulfilling Kosovan and Serbian obligations under the Basic Agreement, as part of sustained commitment to reconciliation, will secure significant opportunities for the people of both countries and accelerate their paths to European Union membership.”

“The United States will remain actively engaged, in coordination with EU partners, to support Serbia and Kosovo in making implementation work in pursuit of a predictable and peaceful relationship. We will continue to support the advancement of stability and prosperity in the Western Balkans.”

“We thank the EU for facilitating the talks and the Government of North Macedonia for hosting the parties and supporting finalization of this agreement.”

State Department urges Kosovo and Serbia to immediately implement their agreement (The Pavlovic Today)

The United States Department of State’s Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs has urged Kosovo and Serbia to immediately implement their agreement to normalize relations. This follows the successful EU-brokered talks in Ohrid, North Macedonia, which were seen as a significant step towards resolving the long-standing tensions between Kosovo and Serbia.

The Department of State’s Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs conveyed its message by expressing support for the breakthrough reached between Serbia’s President Vucic and Kosovo’s PM Albin Kurti.

“The United States welcomes and supported the successful EU-brokered talks between Kosovo and Serbia today in Ohrid, North Macedonia. Both countries should immediately begin to implement their Agreement to Normalize Relations,” noted the Department of State’s Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs.

EU publishes Implementation Annex of Kosovo-Serbia agreement (media)

The European Union has published the Implementation Annex to the Agreement on the Path to Normalisation of Relations between Kosovo and Serbia, which was agreed on Saturday in Ohrid by Kosovo’s Prime Minister, Albin Kurti, and the Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic:

• This Annex constitutes an integral part of the Agreement.
• Kosovo and Serbia fully commit to honour all Articles of the Agreement and this Annex,and implement all their respective obligations stemming from the Agreement and this Annex expediently and in good faith.
• The Parties take note that the Agreement and the Implementation Annex will become integral parts of the respective EU accession processes of Kosovo and Serbia. The Parties note that immediately after the adoption of the Agreement and this Annex, the EU Facilitator will start the process to amend the Chapter 35 benchmarks for Serbia to reflect Serbia’s new obligations stemming from the Agreement and this Annex. The agenda of Kosovo’s Special Group on Normalisation will equally reflect Kosovo’s new obligations stemming from the Agreement and this Annex.
• The Parties agree to endorse the Declaration on Missing Persons, as negotiated under the EU-facilitated Dialogue, as a matter of urgency.
• To implement Article 7, Kosovo launches immediately negotiations within the EU-facilitated Dialogue on establishing specific arrangements and guarantees to ensure an appropriate level of self-management for the Serbian community in Kosovo, in compliance with relevant previous Dialogue agreements as determined by the EU Facilitator.
• The Parties agree to set up a Joint Monitoring Committee, chaired by the EU, within 30 days. The implementation of all provisions shall be ensured and supervised by the Joint Monitoring Committee.
• To implement Article 9, the EU will organise a donor conference within 150 days to set up an investment and financial aid package for Kosovo and Serbia. No disbursement will happen before the EU determines that all provisions of the Agreement have been fully implemented.
• Kosovo and Serbia agree that all Articles will be implemented independently of each other.
• The order of the paragraphs of this Annex is without prejudice to the order of their implementation.
• Kosovo and Serbia agree not to block implementation of any of the Articles.
• All discussions related to implementation of the Agreement will take place under the EU-facilitated Dialogue.
• Kosovo and Serbia recognise that any failure to honour their obligations from the Agreement, this Annex or the past Dialogue Agreements may have direct negative consequences for their respective EU accession processes and the financial aid they receive from the EU.

Osmani: Accommodative approach towards Serbia should change (media)

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani-Sadriu, speaking about the agreement of the Annex to the Basic Agreement with Serbia, has stated that Kosovo proved to be the only party in the dialogue that was constructive and interested in peace and stability.

“I expect the commitments of our allies to be fulfilled regarding Kosovo’s membership in international organizations as well as recognition by non-recognizing countries,” she wrote in a press release issued by her Office while adding that there is no expectation from Serbia, ‘as they will continue to violate agreed agreements, as they have done these 12 years.’

“If we want proper implementation of the agreement, the accommodating approach to the Serbian regime must be changed and every attempt to destabilize the situation on the ground, as well as their unconstructiveness and continuous blockade, must be penalized,” Osmani said.

NATO: Kosovo and Serbia to implement what they agreed on (RTK)

NATO spokeswoman Oana Lungescu has announced that NATO welcomes the agreement between the prime minister of Kosovo Albin Kurti, and the president of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic, mediated by the EU, in facilitating relations between the two countries.

“NATO welcomes the deal by president of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic and the prime minister of Kosovo Albin Kurti in EU- facilitated dialogue on the path to normalize relations between Belgrade and Pristina. We urge both to implement what’s been agreed quickly and in full.

“We are committed to stability in the Western Balkans including through NATO KFOR,” she tweeted.

Hovenier on talks in Ohrid: An important agreement has been reached (media)

U.S. Ambassador to Kosovo Jeffrey Hovenier has described as important the agreement between the Prime Minister of Kosovo Albin Kurti and the Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic on the implementation of the Agreement towards the normalization of relations between the two countries, reached yesterday in Ohrid.

“An important agreement has been reached. The United States will provide full support for the implementation of these obligations, consistent with our long-term efforts to advance security and stability for the people of Kosovo and the region,” Hovenier wrote on Twitter.

Germany congratulates Kosovo and Serbia (media)

Spokesman for the German government Steffen Hebestreit said in a Twitter post that the accord reached in Ohrid must now be implemented. “Congratulations on this progress, which puts the relations between Serbia and Kosovo on a new basis. It is now about leadership, sticking to what is agreed and implementing it. We stand by you so that your European perspective is fulfilled,” he tweeted.

UNMIK chief Ziadeh welcomes progress made in Ohrid (media)

Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of UNMIK, Caroline Ziadeh said in a Twitter post that she “welcomes the progress made in Ohrid with the implementation agreement to normalise relations between Belgrade and Pristina”. Ziadeh also called on “both sides to sustain their constructive engagement & fulfill their commitments in good faith for the benefit of all communities”.

Ohrid Agreement, Slovak Foreign Minister promises support (RTK)

The Foreign Minister of Slovakia, Rastislav Kacer, has congratulated the Prime Minister of Kosovo Albin Kurti, and the Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, for their courage and political responsibility, in reaching an agreement on the normalization of relations between the two countries and in strengthening of regional stability.

“I commend courage and political responsibility of Serbia and Kosovo leaders. Important step towards normalization of relations and reinforcement to regional stability. Essential to deliver on agreed elements to unlock full potential for all parties. Slovakia ready to provide its support,” Kacer tweeted.

Turkey welcomes Ohrid agreement between Kosovo and Serbia (media)

Turkey has welcomed the Ohrid agreement between Kosovo and Serbia. “We welcome that in the wake of reaching agreement on the normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia in Brussels on February 27, 2023, within the framework of the European Union roadmap, the leaders of Kosovo and Serbia agreed on the implementation annex of the said agreement on March 18, 2023, in Ohrid. We hope that the parties will fully comply with the provisions of the said agreement and achieve concrete results in the coming period,” a press release by the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs notes. “Our country has been contributing to the process, especially to the issue of electricity distribution. Our President recently had separate meetings with both Serbian President Vucic and Kosovo Prime Minister Kurti. As Türkiye, we will continue to support all initiatives aimed at normalizing relations between Kosovo and Serbia.”

Kosovo and Serbia agree to EU plan to normalise relations (Financial Times)

Western pressure for the two sides to resolve longstanding differences has intensified with the war in Ukraine. Serbia and Kosovo have agreed to implement an EU plan to resolve a decades-long dispute that has simmered since Kosovo’s 2008 declaration of independence in the wake of the Balkans wars.

The deal was announced late on Saturday by EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, after 12 hours of talks between the Serbian president and the Kosovo prime minister on normalising ties between their countries.

“Finally,” Borrell said, speaking from the North Macedonian resort of Ohrid where Serbia’s Aleksandar Vucic and Kosovo’s Albin Kurti met, “we have a deal, we have an agreement on how to do it.”

Serbia has long refused to recognise its former province as independent — a view shared by most of the ethnic Serb community living in the north of Kosovo, thousands of whom still use Serbian ID cards and drive cars with Serbian licence plates.

Read more at: http://bit.ly/42mrGn9

Despite ‘Difficult’ Talks, Kosovo And Serbia Reach Agreement On Normalizing Ties (RFE)

European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell says an agreement has been reached on ways to implement an EU-backed deal on normalizing relations between Serbia and Kosovo.

Speaking late on March 18 at after Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Kosovar Prime Minister Albin Kurti met with him for three-way talks in North Macedonia for some 12 hours, Borrell said implementing commitments from both sides is a precondition for their integration into the EU.

“What the parties have accepted: the agreement and its implementation through the annex will become an integral part of their respective European Union paths,” Borrell said.

It had been expected that the March 18 meeting would result in an agreement on the annex to the EU’s original 11-point proposal for the normalization of relations following the 1998-1999 war the two fought and Kosovo’s declaration of independence from Serbia in 2008 which Belgrade still does not recognize.

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

Krasniqi: Kurti accepted everything he had promised not to accept (media)

Leader of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) Memli Krasniqi reacted after the agreement reached on Saturday between Kosovo and Serbia, in Ohrid. In a post on Facebook, he wrote that in less than three weeks, Prime Minister Albin Kurti accepted everything he had promised he would not accept.

“On February 27, in Brussels, Prime Minister Kurti accepted the European proposal. Yesterday, on March 18, he also agreed on the annex to the implementation of this agreement. In less than three weeks, Albin Kurti accepted everything he had promised he would not accept, throughout his entire political life with false sermons and countless deceptions,” he wrote.

“But, beyond his deceptions, our concern remains Kosovo, our citizens and future generations, who, unfortunately, in addition to having lost faith in the perspective offered by Kosovo, will inherit the frozen conflict with Serbia for years to come. And this is a direct consequence of the mistakes of Albin Kurti who negotiated and enabled this agreement which is insufficient for Kosovo and which does not achieve our state and civic goals.”

“The agreement without mutual recognition, focused on an advanced association and political autonomy for the Serb community and without guarantees for the Euro-Atlantic integration of Kosovo is a great political and national failure, which we will all pay dearly and for a long time,” Krasniqi concluded.

PSD to protest on Saturday, demands Kurti’s resignation (media)

Leader of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) Dardan Molliqaj has announced that they have organized a protest for Saturday at 14:00 hours in “Zahir Pajaziti” square in Pristina. He said that the Ohrid agreement is harmful for Kosovo and according to him, Kurti has no mandate to reach it.

“Give up” is written on the banner announcing the protest, while the shadow of Prime Minister Kurti is also visible.

“Last night’s agreement is harmful for Kosovo. Kurti has no mandate for this agreement. Fraud is huge and dangerous for democracy and citizenship. Therefore, all of you who are against the agreement and against the fraud are invited to the protest, on Saturday at 2:00 PM in the “Zahir Pajaziti” square!” Molliqaj wrote.

Smoke and mirrors make confusion, not peace (peacefare.net)

Opinion piece by Daniel Serwer, U.S. analyst on the Balkans.

According to EU High Representative Borrell, Saturday’s meeting between Serbian President Vucic and Kosovo Prime Minister Kurti was a success. It resulted in an “Implementation Annex” to the Agreement on the Path to Normalisation of Relations. There are two macro problems:

It is focused on process, not substance.

Serbia again refused to sign.

Process not substance

The major procedural innovation is incorporation of the obligations in the two agreements into both country’s EU accession obligations. The new agreement also foresees an EU-chaired monitoring group. These provisions have been implicit all along. They obligate the EU more than they obligate Serbia and Kosovo. Moreover, the obligation does not extend to recognition of Kosovo’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, since the normalization agreement falls short of that benchmark.

The implementation annex also obligates Pristina to begin negotiations “immediately” on self-management for the Serbian community in Kosovo. This reformulation of the 2013 agreement to create an Association of Serb-majority Municipalities has two notable features:

First: it avoids the specific institutional form of the original. That in Pristina’s eyes represented a potential threat to Kosovo’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Second: it references the “Serbian community.” This suggest it applies not to existing municipalities but rather only to those inside Kosovo who consider themselves Serbian citizens.

The first is clearly to Kosovo’s advantage. The second is to Serbia’s, since it eliminates obligations to most non-Serbs.

The new agreement adds other procedural niceties. The obligations of the original agreement are to be implemented independent of others and the order in which they are mentioned. None are to be blocked. All that is good.

Read more at: http://bit.ly/3yT0AXj

Petritsch: Implementation leads to normalisation and recognition (RFE)

Austrian diplomat and former EU envoy for Kosovo, Wolfgang Petritsch, said in an interview with Radio Free Europe that the success of the accord reached in Ohrid depends on the implementation of the agreement. He said that the meeting in Ohrid can be considered a progress toward the normalisation of relations regardless of the fact that the parties did not sign the text. Most important, according to Petritsch, is the fact that Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti showed “openness and flexibility” in the process of offering a mechanism of self-management to the Serb community in Kosovo. He also said it was important that the EU decided to set up an instrument that obliges the parties to implement the agreement.

“Kurti couldn’t refuse!” Analyst: He grew politically with the Association (euronews.al)

Analyst Dorajet Imeri said that the prime minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, no longer had the opportunity to reject the Kosovo-Serbia agreement.

Although nothing has been signed yet, according to the analyst, Kurti, who grew politically with the association, cannot refuse the agreement requested by the EU, especially at a time when their attention is on Ukraine.

“Kurti has an interesting political life. Started as a student with very liberal views, met with prison. He started a political movement, at first civic and then very political, and then he became a disaffected one, he came as a completely different leader in our political scene. The association has been the most sensitive point of his political growth. This time he had to face exactly that. The deal has been unfortunate for his political career because it’s take it or leave it. Prime Minister Kurti did not have the opportunity to reject such an agreement. Because the situation is out of the ordinary. The concern of those who negotiate is not Kosovo and Serbia”, Dorajet Imeri told Euronews Albania.

Vucic: Serbia ready to work on implementation up to its red lines (Tanjug)

In a public address following Saturday’s round of the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue in Ohrid, North Macedonia, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said that, as everywhere else, he had spoken there about Serbia’s red lines concerning its opposition to a recognition of Kosovo and the territory’s admission to the UN.

“I said that today, too – that no one can impose a legal obligation on Serbia. That is why we signed neither what the EU has called an agreement nor the annex, but Serbia is ready to work on implementation up to the red lines,” Vucic said.

He said Serbia was an internationally recognised state and that, therefore, it wanted no international legal agreements with Kosovo.

He said that, under the annex to the agreement, Pristina and Belgrade were bound to implement all commitments in an appropriate manner.

He said the parties had also taken note of the fact the agreement and the annex would become integral parts of the EU accession process.

Read more at: https://bit.ly/3JRQufx

Opposition criticizes Vucic after Ohrid talks: Citizens are deceived (N1)

Former President of Serbia and leader of the opposition Socialdemocratic Party Boris Tadic assessed that the agreement on the normalization of relations between Serbia and Kosovo does not even need to be signed, because it has already been accepted as a platform for negotiations in which Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic is heavily involved.

“Vucic blatantly repeats that he did not sign the agreement. Our citizens must know that this agreement does not even have to be signed, because it has already been accepted as a platform for negotiations in which Vucic is heavily involved. Our history does not remember of such deceiving of citizens,” Tadic wrote on Twitter.

The leader of the SRCE movement, Zdravko Ponos, also commented on the negotiations. “Bicycle – the front, European wheel of Serbia will turn only if the pedal is pedaled last, which represents the implementation of the Kosovo agreement. 35 is now the main chapter. Serbia’s progress on the European path is now inextricably conditioned by its cooperation around Kosovo. Negotiated by a statesman,” Ponos tweeted.

Leader of the People’s Party, Vuk Jeremic, noted that, if President Aleksandar Vucic accepts the Franco-German proposal, Serbia will receive as a “reward” the creation of the Greater Albania, a stronger suppression of freedom and democracy, as well as the lithium mining. “In addition to all that, in a couple of years, the ‘Scholz-Macron 2’ plan would follow to resolve the ‘open issue of Bosnia and Herzegovina’, that is, to abolish the autonomy of Republika Srpska. In the meantime, Vucic would remain in power in Serbia, and would kick into fifth gear and trample us even harder than before, with the support of the West,” Jeremic has warned, criticizing the outcome of the talks.

Milica Djurdjevic-Stamenkovski, the leader of the Serbian Zavetnici Party opposed the acceptance of the agreement for Kosovo, whose Annex was agreed on Saturday in Ohrid. She estimated that the consequence of this would be the creation of the Greater Albania, as well as the opening of other secessionist demands in Serbia. Leader of the Movement of Free Citizens, Pavle Grbovic, pointed out that he is not in favour of the agreement because it is good, but because Serbia has no other alternative.

Read more at: https://bit.ly/3LB3reR