The leaders of Serbia and Kosovo met in North Macedonia on Saturday to discuss a deal put forward by the EU to improve ties between Belgrade and Pristina.
Kosovo formally declared its independence from Serbia in 2008, almost ten years after the 1999 NATO bombing campaign that separated the territory from Belgrade. But Serbia and many other countries have never recognized Kosovo as an independent state.
Under the eleven-point deal put forward by the EU, Kosovo and Serbia would agree not to resolve disputes with violence and wouldn’t block each other from joining international organizations. Both Serbia and Kosovo seek EU membership, and Brussels wants them to mend ties before joining.
The deal would also result in a de facto normalization by requiring each country to recognize the other’s national symbols and official documents, including passports, diplomas, license plates, and customs stamps. The EU plan would also allow some degree of autonomy for Kosovo’s ethnic minority Serbs.
The deal calls on both governments “to ensure an appropriate level of self-management for the Serbian community in Kosovo and ability for service provision in specific areas, including the possibility for financial support by Serbia.” Tensions often flare between ethnic Serbs who live in northern Kosovo and don’t recognize the government in Pristina.
Following 12 hours of talks between Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, the two leaders said good progress was made, but a final deal was not signed. Kurti blamed the Serbian side for the lack of a formal agreement. “The other side, just as in the last meeting in Brussels on 27 February, is avoiding signing the agreement,” Kurti said.
Vucic signaled that more talks will happen soon. “I think we have made one important step in a constructive atmosphere and we will start to work on something. Of course, it was not some D-day but it was an okay day,” he said. A day before the talks, thousands in Belgrade protested against the EU-proposed deal, which they think will lead to the formal recognition of Kosovo’s independence.
Almost a quarter century later, there’s still no normalization for Kosovo. What did the 1999 bombing accomplish other than the mass murder of Serbian civilians? These are the long-term results of NATO intervention. End NATO!
According even to Serbian sources the 1999 bombing stopped an ethnic cleansing which was going on from 1998:
https://balkaninsight.com/2014/12/10/kosovo-war-victims-list-published/
The deaths caused by the civil war dwarfed the civilians killed by the actual bombing – which was about 500 civilian killed.
https://www.hrw.org/reports/2000/nato/Natbm200.htm
Serbia got scre@ed
Sounds like a good deal as long as u believe joining eu will lead to prosperity.
So far every country which have joined EU has had a higher prosperity starting from the date accession was a given – while the one country that has left has had a significant drop in prosperity and a host of problems following its departure.
Serbia could be different but it does not look like it – that is if its economy does not collapse on account of losing trade with Russia (and potentially China).
https://tradingeconomics.com/serbia/exports-by-country
https://tradingeconomics.com/serbia/imports-by-country