The leaders of Serbia and Kosovo are assembly in Brussels Thursday (18 August) within the hopes of resolving a spike in tensions over border points.
However Serbia’s president Aleksandar Vučić, who might be assembly Kosovo’s prime minster Albin Kurti, has already solid a protracted shadow over the talks.
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“We’re going to have tough discussions tomorrow. We don’t agree nearly on something,” stated Vučić on Wednesday, at a press convention with Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg.
Vučić additionally stated Serbia is in search of stability and needs to keep away from battle.
The 2 sides have been at loggerheads over a border dispute amid fears a brand new battle may very well be reignited within the shadow of Russia’s battle in Ukraine.
These tensions revolve round ethnic Serbs refusing to recognise Pristina-issued license plates in North Mitrovica, a majority-Serb city inside Kosovo.
Pristina then agreed to postpone issuing the plates to September, following EU and US strain.
Kurti had earlier this month warned that Serbia might assault Kosovo, triggering legacy grievances from the battle within the Nineteen Nineties.
He stated the purpose of the talks “should be to achieve a legally-binding settlement centred on mutual recognition” between Kosovo and Serbia.
Stoltenberg had additionally stated Nato was ready to ship in additional troops, on high of the some 4,000 peacekeepers already stationed beneath its Kosovo Power (Kfor) mission.
“If wanted, we are going to transfer forces, deploy them the place wanted and improve our presence. We’ve already elevated the presence within the north. We’re able to do extra,” he stated.
Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia 14 years in the past and has round 50,000 ethnic Serbs concentrated in its north.
Some 100 nations recognise Kosovo, together with the US, Germany, and France. However Spain, Slovakia, Cyprus, Romania, and Greece don’t.
