MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 16th August, 2022) All outstanding issues preventing the normalization of ties between Kosovo and Serbia will be addressed at the EU-facilitated meeting on August 18, EU spokesperson for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Nabila Massrali said on Tuesday.
In early August, riots broke out in northern Kosovo in the wake of Pristina's announcement that Serbian-issued IDs would be invalid and Serbian citizens with Kosovo residency would receive temporary certificates when entering the breakaway republic starting August 1. At the same time, Kosovo was going to begin mandatory re-registration of vehicles with Serbian license plates, which would also affect Serbians living in the northern part of Kosovo. The tensions at the border prompted Kosovo authorities to postpone implementing the new regulations until September 1. The leaders of Serbia and Kosovo have accepted the invitation of EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell Fontelles to meet in Brussels on August 18 and resume discussions on the normalization of relations.
"When it comes to the dialogue that will take place on Thursday, all open issues will be addressed and should be addressed through this EU facilitated dialogue. Our focus now is on the preparation of this high level meeting, which will take place on Thursday, 18th of August, to move the EU facilitated dialogue forward for the benefit of the people of Serbia and Kosovo," Massrali told a briefing.
In 2008, the Kosovo-Albanian structures in Pristina unilaterally proclaimed independence from Belgrade. Since then, Kosovo has been recognized by 98 out of 193 UN member states. Serbia does not recognize the breakaway region as an independent state.
In 2013, Serbia and Kosovo signed an EU-mediated agreement to normalize relations, but the dialogue soon came to a standstill.
In 2020, the sides struck another deal on normalization, brokered by the United States. The document provided for a moratorium for both sides on lobbying for recognition and denial of recognition of the self-proclaimed republic by third countries. However, in August 2021, Kosovo's parliament refused to pass a resolution on the implementation of the agreement.
