Base Agreement Implementation Government Sends Comments 18 July

Representatives of Kosovo and Serbia are expected by July 18th to submit their comments on the road to implementing the agreement on normalising relations the parties agreed on last year in Brussels and Ohrid.

The last two meetings in Brussels between the leaders of Kosovo and Serbia and at the top level of negotiators on both sides aimed at unblocking the implementation of the agreement ended without any results.

The European Union expects the sides' comments to draft a new proposal on this process.

Kosovo chief negotiator Besnik Bislimi adviser Klisman Cadiu said the government will submit its comments regarding the implementation of the basic agreement on normalising relations with Serbia in the deadline set for July 18th.

According to him, the Government has submitted concrete proposals and comments for each point of versions of the sequence plan, testifying to constructiveity as well as willingness to implement agreements.

The “continued, over the past year and this year, our side has presented concrete proposals and comments for each point, versions of the sequence plan, witnessing constructiveity, as well as willingness and will to implement agreements. For the agreements to be implemented in full, the same approach is needed, and by the other side, which so far, unfortunately has been missing”, he told Rtv 21.

Cadiu said that, for the agreements to be implemented in full, the same approach must be applied to the other side, which so far, according to him, is unfortunately missing.

Despite Western pressure, the deal reached last year in Brussels and Ohrid has still not begun to apply, although the European Union has repeatedly stressed that it is legally binding for the parties and that its implementation depends on progress towards European integration.

At the last summit, held on 26 June in Brussels, Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti refused to meet with Serbian President Vuciq. He presented three conditions for further commitment in the process of normalising reports with Serbia.

Kurti said that without the handover of Milan Radociqi and the Serbian paramilitary group that carried out the terrorist attack on Zvecan Banjska on 24 September last year, there can be no trust in dialogue with Serbia.

The Kosovo executive chief refused to meet with Serbian President Aleksandar Vuciq without becoming the establishment of the Base Agreement through the respective heads of state signing; the withdrawal of official letter delivered to the EU by former Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabyq, on December 13th 2023, and the handover of Milan Radojic and his paramilitary terrorist group to Kosovo's judicial authorities.

Appliance on the way to implement the Base Agreement did not even bring over 7 hours of bilateral and trilateral meetings to the chief negotiator level a week later in Brussels.

Kosovo's chief negotiator, Besnik Bislimi, accused the Serbian side of wanting only partial implementation of the Base Agreement, while Serbian chief negotiator Petar Petkovic criticised the Kosovo side for not wanting to establish the Association of Serb majority municipalities.