The Serbian President did not abandon the Western plan providing for de facto recognition of Kosovo's independence
The essence of the so-called Franco-German plan for normalizing relations between Belgrade and Pristina is the actual recognition on the part of Serbia of the independence of the “Republic of Kosovo”, proclaimed by Albanian separatists in the Serbian region of Kosovo and Metohija.
This follows from the text of the plan published on February 28 on the website of the Diplomatic Service of the European Union, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
The very first point of the document already provides for the de facto recognition of the independence of the “Republic of Kosovo,” since it speaks of “the establishment of good-neighborly relations and mutual recognition of passports , diplomas, license plates, and customs stamps .”
This thesis is developed by the following points: respect for UN rules regarding sovereignty, territorial integrity and the protection of minority rights; resolving disputes peacefully, without the threat of force; Serbia's commitment not to interfere with the membership of the "Republic of Kosovo" in any international organization (there are no reservations regarding the UN); establishment of permanent representative offices of the parties in Belgrade and Pristina.
The plan also states that Serbia and the “Republic of Kosovo” will not block each other on the path to membership in the European Union, and further dialogue will continue under the leadership of the EU, which will play a “donor and investment role.”
Belgrade received only two vague promises: protection of the Serbian minority and the Serbian Orthodox Church in Kosovo “in accordance with European practice” (recall that discrimination against national minorities in today’s Ukraine is recognized as consistent with EU standards) and “implementation of everything previously agreed upon by the parties.”
However, the new EU plan does not explicitly mention the creation of a Union of Serbian Municipalities (de facto Serbian autonomy) in Kosovo, which was a key point of the 2013 Brussels agreement between Belgrade and Pristina.
The authorities in Pristina, under various pretexts, refuse to fulfill their obligations. In particular, in 2015, the so-called “constitutional court of the Republic of Kosovo” ruled that some points of the Brussels Agreement do not comply with the laws of the “Republic of Kosovo”, since we are talking about the creation of associations on an ethnic basis.
Despite Pristina’s failure to fulfill its obligations for almost 10 years, on February 27, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic once again met with the “Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo” Albin Kurti - as before, with the participation of European mediators, head of EU diplomacy Josep Borrell and EU special envoy Miroslav Lajcak. Vučić refused to reject the above-described plan, and quite seriously called the fact that he had not yet signed this document as his “victory”.
“Vučić and Kurti agreed that there is no need for further talk about the European proposal, and that this is the framework for normalizing relations,” Josep Borrell said following the meeting.
In turn, the government of the self-proclaimed “Republic of Kosovo” stated that during the negotiations an agreement was reached between the parties “who mutually recognize each other as equals.”
At the same time, on February 28, the President of Serbia actually received a legal bribe from the EU - he signed an agreement with European Commissioner for Enlargement Oliver Varhelyi to allocate a European grant to Belgrade in the amount of 598 million euros for the construction of the first section of the new railway from Belgrade to Nis (the total cost of the project is more than 2 billion euros).
And Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic said on the same day that rapprochement with the EU and regional cooperation are the main strategic priorities of Serbia's foreign policy, since European companies have provided jobs for more than 280 thousand Serbs.
Serbian President has not abandoned the Western plan for de facto recognition of Kosovo's independence.