Kosovo and Serbia Ready to Normalize Their Relations

• 10.14.2015, 20:54
•  Europe,  World

Kosovo and Serbia have expressed their readiness to continue the talks for the normalization of relations between the two countries.

The sides have pledged that they will remain committed to apply all agreements reached so far in the dialogue brokered by the European Union.

According to Balkan EU, the head of EU diplomacy, Federica Mogherini declared that she has received assurances from both sides for the implementation of the agreements, especially the one that was reached on August 25 on the Association of Serb Communes.

''Both prime ministers, Isa Mustafa and Aleksandar Vucic had a talk on the situation surrounding the talks, and they reiterated their commitment for the implementation of all past agreements,'' Mogherini declared.

The Serbian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ivica Dacic, in turn told that Serbia had shown a constructive approach though the meeting was a difficult one.

''We have reiterated our readiness to implement the agreements that have been reached,'' Dacic said.

Meanwhile, deputy Prime Minister of Kosovo, Hashim Thaci, told that the meeting with the Serb side was not an easy one, as Serbia also brought up topics of the past, but Belgrade was the one that carried out genocide. However, at the same time, Thaci condemned the violence, which came amid a series of protests by the opposition against Pristina’s deals with Belgrade to normalise relations.

It should be noted that the clashes erupted after Kosovo police arrested the vice-president of Vetevendosje, Albin Kurti, who joined the protestors who regrouped in front of the Kosovo parliament, The Balkan Insight reports. 

Kurti said that the police arrested him as he and other opposition MPs threw tear gas canisters in parliament on October 8 in a protest over EU-backed agreements with Serbia.

Anyway, the MP was released after midnight and addressed the protesters outside parliament, telling them "not to stop until we prevent the creation of the community" – a reference to the association of Serb municipalities that will receive more powers under the deal.

EU diplomats have reiterated that they expect from Pristina and Belgrade to implement all the agreements that have reached during the talks and which will ensure progress in the country's European integration process.