Next Round Of Serbia-Kosovo Talks In North Macedonia This Month: EU

The next round of dialogue for normalization of relations between Serbia and Kosovo will be held in North Macedonia later this month, the EU's special envoy said on Thursday.

Talks will be held in the southwestern tourist hub of Ohrid, according to Miroslav Lajcak, the EU special representative for Serbia-Kosovo dialogue.

"I am grateful to North Macedonia for its strong support for the dialogue and look forward to the next dialogue meeting in Ohrid later this month," Lajcak said after meeting North Macedonia's Deputy Prime Minister Bojan Maricic.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic previously said he expects talks to resume on March 18 as the EU aims to have some sort of progress by March 24.

The EU announced earlier this week that Serbia and Kosovo have agreed to sign a proposal to normalize ties after a meeting between Vucic and Kosovo's Prime Minister Albin Kurti.

Serbia-Kosovo dialogue

Launched in 2011, the EU-led Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue aims to find a mutually agreeable solution for disputes in the framework of a legally binding agreement.

Following a flareup in border tensions last summer, Lajcak presented the bloc's latest proposal on normalizing relations in September.

The EU requires Kosovo and Serbia to reach a final agreement and resolve disputes to progress in their integration into the bloc.

Most UN member states, including the US, UK, France, Germany and Türkiye, recognized Kosovo as a country separate after it declared independence from Serbia 15 years ago.

Serbia, though, continues to regard it as its territory.

Vucic said in October that Germany and France had offered to expedite Serbia's EU membership process if it recognized Kosovo's independence and allowed it to become a member of international organizations.

According to the leaked proposal, Kosovo should, for its part, allow the establishment of a union of Serbian municipalities in the north, where many ethnic Serbs live.

EU officials hope to complete negotiations on the plan this spring, with Brussels facilitating the talks. -