Brussels, 16 March 2023 (MIA) - It is now the time for Serbia and Kosovo to agree on the Implementation annex, which is an integral part of the French-German Agreement to resolve the Kosovo issue, wrote EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, in his blog on Thursday.

Borrell said this is the time to demonstrate shared responsibility for the success of the EU accession process of the region and reminded that this Saturday, he will convene a high-level meeting of the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue.

This time is different from previous meetings. Not just because I will meet President of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić and Prime Minister of Kosovo Albin Kurti in the region, in Ohrid, North Macedonia, instead of in the familiar halls of the European External Action Service in Brussels, he wrote in the blog.

“However, to open the path towards reaching the objective of joining the EU, Serbia and Kosovo need to normalise relations. There is no way around it,” Borrell wrote.

He said that in September 2022, EU supported by the leaders of Germany and France and our American friends - made a bold proposal to President of Serbia Vučić and Prime Minister of Kosovo Kurti. A proposal that would put an end to crisis management and instead shift the attention to normalisation and reconciliation, and that would help the entire region leap forward towards Europe.

“It is now the time for Serbia and Kosovo to agree on the Implementation annex, which is an integral part of the Agreement and share a clear understanding on how to put in place their provisions,” Borrell noted.

He said that the EU is not a simple note-taker nor is it a party in the Dialogue: we are and remain the facilitator in this Dialogue. The EU is the eventual home for Serbia and Kosovo.

“I will continue to work tirelessly towards eventually reaching a comprehensive agreement on normalisation of relations that is acceptable to EU member states, is in line with international law and the European acquis, and contributes to regional stability. The agreement on the table is an important step towards that objective,” Borrell wrote.

“This is the time for the leaders of Kosovo, Serbia and of the entire Western Balkans to show courage, and to demonstrate shared responsibility for the success of the EU accession process of the region,” Borrell wrote in his blog.