Reference News Network reported on March 3 According to Agence France-Presse on the 19th, after marathon negotiations led by the European Union, the leaders of Kosovo and Serbia failed to sign an agreement on the normalization of their complex relations on the 19th local time.

Led by EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell, Kosovo authorities leader Albin Kurti and Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić held talks for 12 hours in Ohrid, North Macedonia.

Amid the intense Russian-Ukrainian conflict, Western countries have reportedly put pressure on Belgrade and Pristina in recent months to prevent a possible escalation of tensions in the fragile Balkans.

Talks between the two sides in Brussels last month ended in failure. The EU presented an 11-point peace plan. The EU hopes that the two sides will reach an agreement on the implementation of the annex to the European proposal aimed at normalizing relations between the two sides.

Josep Borrell told the media that both sides had accepted the annexes, but acknowledged that Belgrade and Pristina had not gone as far as hoped. "The two sides have not been able to find a solution as ambitious and mutually acceptable as we have proposed."

In Ohrid, the leaders of both sides acknowledged that some progress had been made, but each had a thorn in his words.

The leader of the Kosovo authorities said he was ready to initialize the agreement, but blamed the Serbian side for the absence of the signature. "The other side, exactly as it did at the last meeting in Brussels, avoided signing the agreement, and now it avoids signing the annex". "It is now up to the EU to find a mechanism to make the agreement legally and internationally binding," he added. ”

"I think we have taken an important step in a constructive atmosphere and we will start our work," the Serbian president said. Of course, this is not some victory day, this is an OK day. ”

According to a report by the Russian Satellite News Agency on the 19th, Serbian President Vučić said that Serbia and Kosovo reached an agreement on the implementation of several provisions of the EU solution.

Vučić told reporters after the meeting: "We have reached some agreements and I am satisfied with that. Of course, that's not all. It is important that some of the points we have reached will be part of the negotiating framework between Belgrade and Pristina. As we anticipated, the European Council will decide to include it in the negotiating platform. He also promised to report the results of the talks in detail on the 19th.

In addition, the EU promised that Serbia and Kosovo would hold a donor conference within 150 days to develop a financial aid package, but according to the annexes to the agreement, Belgrade and Pristina will only receive funding if the EU determines that all the provisions of the agreement on the normalization of relations between Serbia and Kosovo have been fully implemented.

The annex released by the EU External Action Service reportedly said: "The EU will organize a donor conference within 150 days to develop an investment and financial assistance package for Kosovo and Serbia." No payments will be made until the EU is sure that all the terms of the agreement have been fully complied with. ”

The annex states that a joint monitoring committee under the auspices of the EU will be established within 30 days to ensure and supervise the implementation of all provisions of the agreement. "Kosovo and Serbia agreed that all provisions would be implemented independently." (Compilation/Liu Zhuo)

(Source: Reference News)