Borrell Says Serbia-Kosovo EU-Brokered Agreement Cannot Be Questioned

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 23rd March, 2023) The agreement between Serbia and Kosovo under the EU-facilitated dialogue cannot be questioned, and the bloc will follow closely progress on its realization by both sides, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Thursday.

"On the Ohrid (a city in North Macedonia) meeting and agreement between Kosovo and Serbia, let me say that any attempt to question the agreement is futile, the agreement was agreed, it has to be implemented, and there is no room for picking and choosing," Borrell said ahead of the European Council meeting in Brussels.

The EU's foreign policy chief also said that the agreement should be "implemented on all parts in a holistic way," adding that the bloc would follow closely "who is implementing and who is not."

Last week, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Kosovo leader Albin Kurti held talks in Macedonia with the participation of Borrell and EU Special Representative for the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue Miroslav Lajcak.

The talks were held behind closed doors in Ohrid and lasted 12 hours.

Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Gabriel Escobar pointed out that the Ohrid agreement marks the start of the reconciliation process between Serbia and Kosovo, noting that all parties have a lot of work to be beyond this agreement.

In 2008, Kosovo unilaterally proclaimed independence from Serbia, which has still not recognized its independence. In 2013, Serbia and Kosovo signed an EU-mediated agreement to normalize relations, but the dialogue soon came to a standstill. Tensions have been simmering on the border since mid-2022, escalating several times into road blockages in Northern Kosovo and belligerent rhetoric on both sides.