Josep Borrell, the head of the EU’s foreign policy, said on Saturday that an ethnic issue between Serbia and Kosovo over the flow of citizens across their border has been resolved.
In a tweet, Borrell declared, “We have a deal.” “Kosovo Serbs, as well as all other citizens, will be able to travel freely between Kosovo & Serbia using their ID cards. The EU just received guarantees from PM (Albin) Kurti to this end.”
The disagreement arose from Kosovo’s 2008 proclamation of independence from Serbia, which Belgrade has refused to recognize. Kosovo is primarily made up of ethnic Albanians.
The contentious usage of Serbian license plates issued in the northern part of Kosovo, where Serbs rebel against the Pristina government and claim Belgrade as their capital, is still up for negotiation between Serbia and Kosovo.
The United States and all but five EU members recognize independent Kosovo, although several other nations, including Serbia’s allies Russia and China, do not.
A decree from Kosovo authorities ordering local Serbs to change their automobile number plates from Serbian to Kosovo ones starting on September 1 is what has caused the most recent escalation of hostilities between Serbia and Kosovo.
In response, northern Kosovo Serbs erected roadblocks and engaged in intermittent combat with law enforcement until NATO soldiers oversaw their removal.
The discussions about the issue of car number plates between EU and US envoys and the authorities in Serbia and Kosovo have so far failed to produce any tangible outcomes.Â
Aleksandar Vucic, the president of Serbia, expressed optimism earlier in the day that the EU will offer assurances for the personal documents deal. Additionally, he stated that Serbia would be releasing “a general disclaimer” in which it would be stated that while it was permissible to use identity cards issued by Pristina for practical purposes to facilitate freedom of movement, doing so did not signify Serbia’s recognition of Kosovo’s independence.
Borrell tweeted that “Under the EU-facilitated Dialogue, Serbia agreed to abolish entry/exit documents for Kosovo ID holders and Kosovo agreed to not introduce them for Serbian ID holders.”
According to a 2013 EU-mediated deal, Belgrade and Kosovo’s Serb minority also assert the right to an association of semi-autonomous municipalities with a majority of Serbs, which Pristina has failed to execute.
