Talks on Kosovo in Brussels will be difficult: Serbian president

BELGRADE, Serbia

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said Sunday that normalization talks between Serbia and Kosovo will be very difficult.

Vucic in a phone conversation with US State Department Counselor Derek Chollet discussed the talks, which are set to take place Monday in Brussels under the auspices of the European Union.

According to the statement, Vucic said he expects a very difficult meeting but noted that Serbia is committed to peace and stability in the region.

It added that he is ready to work on the concept and implementation of the proposed plan with clearly defined limitations.

Chollet for his part emphasized that the US supported the EU's proposal for Serbia’s normalization of relations with Kosovo.

''The agreements previously signed in the dialogue process should be implemented, which also implies the establishment of the Community of Serbian Municipalities,'' said the statement.

Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic said that Monday’s meeting will be a positive step towards achieving this goal.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell and the EU's special representative for dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, Miroslav Lajcak, will hold separate meetings with Vucic and Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti before holding a joint meeting.

The EU requires Kosovo and Serbia to reach a final agreement and resolve any disputes between them in order to progress in their integration with the bloc.

Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia in 2008, with most UN member states including the US, the UK, France, Germany and Türkiye recognizing it as a country separate from its neighbor. But Belgrade continues to regard it as its territory.

Vucic said last October that Germany and France offered to expedite Serbia's EU membership process if it recognized Kosovo's independence and allowed it to become a member of international organizations.

According to the leaked proposal, Kosovo should for its part allow the establishment of a union of Serbian municipalities in the north, where many ethnic Serbs live.

EU officials hope to complete negotiations on the plan this spring, with Brussels having facilitated the Serbia-Kosovo dialogue.