Agreement with Serbia excludes partition of Kosovo

Gazeta Express

06/06/2020 18:53

The idea of swapping territories or redrawing of borders has been excluded from the negotiations table of Kosovo-Serbia dialogue on normalisation of relations.

The option is no longer supported by Brussels and Washington. Sources told Gazeta Express that a final agreement with Serbia excludes partition of Kosovo after the idea was never fully supported since it was launched in January 2018.

Sources told Gazeta Express that a Final Agreement will exclude the controversial proposal of partitioning Kosovo along ethnic lines between Albanians and Serbs living mainly in northern part of the country. “The partition of Kosovo will not be the compromise solution of parties” in dialogue, a source said.

The Dialogue between Pristina and Belgrade is expected to resume soon after the Government of Kosovo removed on Saturday all trade barriers obstructing the dialogue between the two countries. The EU and US officials have announced the dialogue will resume once the COVID-19 pandemic is over.

Kosovo delegation will be headed by newly appointed prime minister Avdullah Hoti, as foreseen by the Constitution of Kosovo, whereas President Hashim Thaci who until now has headed the EU-facilitated dialogue in Brussels is expected to become part of the delegation as head of foreign policy, as guaranteed by the Constitution.

Kosovo and Serbia have negotiated since 1999 with the signing of the Ramboulliet Agreement ending Serbia’s military and police presence in Kosovo. The second round of Kosovo-Serbia negotiations was held in Vienna and ended with the drafting of the Ahtisaari Package, that paved the way for Kosovo to declare Independence in February 2008.

A third round of talks between Kosovo and Serbia was held in Brussels, initially launched as technical dialogue, and transformed into a political dialogue, with parties signing several agreements and most of them have been not been implemented partially implemented by parties.

Currently the US and EU are asking a new phase of dialogue on normalization of relations between the two countries. /GazetaExpress/