Vučić and Kurti to meet on June 26 in Brussels

(Patria) - The EU External Action Service confirmed that High Representative Josep Borrell will host Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti and Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić at a high-level meeting on June 26 in Brussels.

"Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti and Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić have confirmed their participation. High Representative Josep Borrell and Special Envoy Miroslav Lajčak will hold separate meetings with the leaders, followed by a joint tripartite meeting," the EU statement said.

It added that the meeting will serve to assess what has been achieved in the dialogue led by the High Representative. Borrell is expected to address the media after the meeting.

Last week, the Government of Kosovo told Radio Free Europe that the main focus of the meeting in Brussels is expected to be on the implementation of the Agreement on the Path to Normalization of Relations, the annex for its implementation, and progress in the dialogue.

The holding of a new round of dialogue was agreed upon during Lajčak's visits to Kosovo and Serbia last week.

Kurti and Vučić last met in Brussels on September 14, 2023, when they discussed the implementation of the Agreement on the Path to Normalization of Relations, but that meeting did not result in any progress.

A few days later, on September 24, a group of armed Serbs attacked the Kosovo police in the village of Banjska in Zvečan, in northern Kosovo. A Kosovo police officer was killed on that occasion. Three Serbian attackers were also killed in the clashes.

Kosovo accuses Serbia of being behind the attack, but Belgrade denies it. Since then, despite Western efforts, Kurti and Vučić have not met to discuss the implementation of the Agreement.

This agreement, reached last year, has not been signed by the parties, but the EU says it is legally binding for Kosovo and Serbia. Kosovo insists on signing the agreement, but Serbia refuses.

The 11-point agreement, among other things, foresees the level of self-governance for the Serbian community in Kosovo and mutual recognition of state symbols, and requires Pristina and Belgrade to implement all previous agreements reached during the dialogue.