Ohrid, 19 March 2023 (MIA) — After long talks in Ohrid on Saturday, the European Union's High Representative Josep Borrell welcomed the concurrence between Serbia and Kosovo on the implementation annex of an EU-proposed agreement for normalizing their relations, which is to become a binding part of their respective European paths.

The objective of the 12-hour Ohrid meeting between Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti was for Kosovo and Serbia to agree on how to implement the Agreement on the Path to Normalization of Relations between Kosovo and Serbia they accepted during their previous high-level meeting in Brussels on Feb. 27, Borrell told a news conference late on Saturday night.

"This means practical steps on what has to be done, by when it has to be done, by whom and how. It is often said that the devil is in the details, well sometimes the devil is in the calendar, in the schedule, in the timing," the EU's foreign policy chief said.

"I am glad to announce that, finally, after 12 hours, we have a deal, we have an agreement on how to do it," he said.

Borrell said Kosovo agreed to launch, immediately, negotiations within the EU-facilitated dialogue on establishing specific arrangements and guarantees to ensure an appropriate level of self-management for the Serbian community in Kosovo.

Also, he said, Serbia and Kosovo both agreed to endorse the Declaration on Missing Persons, as negotiated under the EU-facilitated dialogue, as a matter of urgency. 

Pointing out that the EU had initially proposed a more ambitious and detailed proposal for the annex, he said the negotiating parties could not agree on this detailed proposal. However, he said, "the Annex and the Agreement are considered adopted through my statement that will be published."

Borell noted that the agreement and its implementation through the annex would become an integral part of the countries' respective EU paths, adding that both Kosovo and Serbia would gain significant benefits from the agreement.

"This is not just about Kosovo and Serbia," he continued. "It is about the stability, the security, the prosperity of the whole region." mr/