Chicago: The normalisation of relations process will proceed despite Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic's refusal to sign a formal agreement for doing so with its secessionist former province, Kosovo, a US official said on Monday.
Serbia has verbally agreed to carry out a plan to forge relations backed by the West, according to Gabriel Escobar, the deputy assistant secretary for the Department of State's Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs. However, he acknowledged that it only marks the start of the former belligerent nations' efforts to reconcile their differences.
Although Vucic has made it clear he wants Serbia to join the EU, the latter has made it a requirement that Serbia normalise relations with Kosovo, which has a sizable Serb population despite having an ethnic Albanian majority.
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Serbia refuses to acknowledge Kosovo's 2008 unilateral declaration of independence and still views it as a province. Vucic verbally accepted the normalisation proposal during a meeting with EU representatives on Saturday, but he refused to sign any legally binding international documents.
Escobar said, "The United States is extremely pleased to welcome this significant and historic agreement. It took a lot of political courage and foresight on the parts of both Serbian President Vucic and Kosovan Prime Minister (Albin) Kurti to reach this agreement because it creates the framework for normalisation between Serbia and Kosovo on terms that are compatible with the European Union.
Both parties' performance under the terms of this agreement will be taken into consideration when evaluating them. This agreement will remain the cornerstone of both our future foreign policy towards the United States and European engagement in the region.
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Escobar emphasised that even though there hasn't been a formal signing, the deal reached by the negotiators from Kosovo and Serbia is still "legally binding in every respect" and both sides have made promises in their pursuit of EU membership.
So, he continued, "the signature was not the problem. The obligation was one that both nations freely agreed to, and once more, both parties had a clear understanding of what was expected of them and what they would receive. Consequently, it is an agreement in every way.
"Really, the next step is for both parties to begin putting the implementation plan that was presented on Saturday into action. Both parties are required by law to fulfil their obligations.
This marks the start of a process for Serbia to recognise "Kosovo's documents and other national symbols... and things of that nature," according to Escobar.
"For Kosovo, it's crucial that they start drafting their own version of the Association of Serb-Majority Municipalities," he continued. Although there are many other obligations, I believe those are the most significant.
The negotiations and agreement between the two countries are significant because they signal "the beginning of the reconciliation between Serbia and Kosovo," according to Escobar. Therefore, there will be a lot of work to do after this agreement. Additionally, the dialogue will still be facilitated by the EU.
There is a lot here, but what matters is that we have established precise parameters for how the two nations will interact moving forward.
He added that as the two countries advance, they "will receive the benefits flowing" from the US and from countries in Europe. The obligations that Serbia and Kosovo have subsequently accepted are evident, he continued.
"I believe that greater Euro-Atlantic integration is the most crucial factor for Kosovo and the factor that will benefit them the most. Therefore, integrating into European structures is our main goal, said Escobar.
The implementation of the Association of Serb-Majority Municipalities and the legal obligation to start negotiations, according to Serbia, "remain crucial."
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Despite the fact that the agreement was only announced two days ago, he added that everyone is optimistic that it will be successful and lay the groundwork for further advancement for both Countries.
After decades of conflict dating back to the Ottoman Empire's rule over the Balkans, the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 1244 on June 10, 1999, placing Kosovo under interim UN rule and approving the deployment of the Kosovo Force, a NATO-led peacekeeping force. It stipulated that Kosovo would receive autonomy, first under the former Yugoslavia and then under Serbia, the successor state.