Vucic Tells US Envoy Agreements On Kosovo Must Be Respected

BELGRADE (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 16th March, 2023) Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic on Wednesday told US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Gabriel Escobar that Belgrade's position on normalizing relations with Pristina remained unchanged, reiterating the need to fulfill all previously reached agreements and respect Serbian national interests.

Earlier in the day, Vucic and Escobar held a meeting during which they talked about the normalization of relations between Belgrade and Pristina, as well as the formation of the Community of Serb Municipalities and the need to find compromise and sustainable solutions in an EU-mediated dialogue, according to Vucic's office.

"President Vucic reiterated Serbia's unchanged position on maintaining peace and stability in the region and resolving open issues between Belgrade and Pristina, with an emphasis on full application of previously signed agreements and respect for state and national interests," the Serbian Presidency said.

Escobar arrived in Serbia on Wednesday shortly after EU Special Representative for the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue Miroslav Lajcak, who earlier in the week held meetings with the Serbian president and representatives of parliamentary parties, including the opposition. The discussion was about the upcoming talks in North Macedonia, scheduled for March 18, between Vucic and Kosovar Prime Minister Albin Kurti, with the participation of EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell and Lajcak.

On February 27, Borrell published the full text of the European proposal with clauses on mutual recognition of documents and state symbols and Belgrade's consent not to prevent Pristina from joining international organizations. According to Lajcak, EU and US leaders insist that Kosovar Albanian authorities form the Community of Serb Municipalities with autonomy rights, in accordance with the 2013 Brussels Agreement. According to US Ambassador to Kosovo Jeffrey Hovenier, there is no better plan than the EU's proposal for a Serbia-Kosovo settlement, which Washington fully supports.

Vucic has repeatedly stated that his country has fulfilled its part of the Brussels Agreement, while Kosovo, whose independence Belgrade never recognized, only started to develop the charter of the Community, and then suspended the process.

On March 9, Vucic and Kurti confirmed their participation in the meeting under EU auspices, which will be held on March 18 in the city of Ohrid in North Macedonia. During the meeting, Kurti plans to discuss with the Serbian leader the program for the implementation of the European-US plan for a settlement in Kosovo and Metohija.