London, Thursday, 18 August 2022
Aleksandar Vucic, the president of Serbia, convened a meeting with Kosovo Serb political leaders on Thursday after having a meeting with Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti at the EU diplomatic service's headquarters.
According to news reports, the gathering of Serbian political and institutional figures, as well as Serbian mayors, district and hospital directors is slated to take place on Sunday at the Palace of Serbia in Belgrade.
Josep Borrell, the head of the EU's foreign policy, called for the discussions after border tensions earlier this month; the talks are formally known as the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue and are facilitated by the EU.
Borrell announced the commencement of the meeting on Twitter, writing, "Recent tensions in the north of Kosovo have proved again again that it is time to move forward towards full normalisation."
He stated that in order to find common ground, he anticipates "both leaders must be open and flexible."
Miroslav Lajcak, the special envoy of the EU for the negotiations, met with Vucic and Kurti late on Wednesday.
Vucic and Kurti had separate conversations with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg earlier in the day.
In order to stop the escalation of hostilities, he pleaded with both leaders to exercise caution and "avoid damaging rhetoric."
Additionally, Stoltenberg insisted that they have productive discussions in the conversation that the EU is facilitating, pointing out that this is the best approach to find a solution for both populations.
Kosovo's planned implementation of a new law requiring everyone, even Serbs living in Kosovo, to carry a Kosovo ID card and licence plate caused tensions between Serbia and Kosovo to rise earlier this month.
However, Kosovo has postponed the new regulations until September 1.
The 2011-launched Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue, sponsored by the EU, attempts to improve ties between the Western Balkan neighbours.
Kurti and Vucic participated in the final high-level meeting on June 15, 2021.
Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia in 2008, with most UN member-states, including the US, UK, France, Germany, and Turkey, recognizing it as a separate autonomous country from its neighbour.
Serbia continues to see Kosovo as its territory.
(Report by: The Decision Maker – International Relations editors)
(Picture by: Wikimedia)