Serbian president vows to oppose Kosovo's UN membership: Prime Minister Kurti

BELGRADE, Serbia (AA) -
Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti said Wednesday that his Serbian counterpart has vowed to oppose Kosovo's membership to the UN.

The EU announced that Serbia and Kosovo agreed to sign a proposal to normalize ties after a meeting in Brussels late Monday between Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Kurti.

''Serbia's President vowed last night to oppose Kosova's membership in the UN. This would constitute a clear breach of Art. 4 of the EU proposal. Normalization of relations is possible only if both parties negotiate in good faith. Serbia has apparently decided not to do so,'' Kurti said on social media.

According to Article 4: ''The Parties proceed on the assumption that neither of the two can represent the other in the international sphere or act on its behalf.

“Serbia will not object to Kosovo’s membership in any international organization.''

Vucic said Serbia is prepared to work on the implementation of many things contained in the European plan for Kosovo but has also had one clear and big objection that there be no discussion on mutual recognition, recognition, or Kosovo’s membership in the UN.

''I told this to (French President Emmanuel) Macron, and to (German Chancellor Olaf) Scholz in Munich, and to all the big leaders, and (EU Special Representative for the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue Miroslav) Lajcak and (EU High Representative Josep) Borrell also know this, and I also repeated it during the meeting in Brussels. The thing is that I do not want to and there can be no discussion on mutual recognition, recognition, and Kosovo’s membership in the UN,'' Vucic said on Radio Television of Serbia.

Launched in 2011, the EU-led Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue aims to find a mutually agreeable solution for disputes in the framework of a legally binding agreement.

Following a flareup in border tensions last summer, Lajcak presented the bloc's latest proposal on normalizing relations in September.

- Kosovo-Serbia dialogue process

The EU requires Kosovo and Serbia to reach a final agreement and resolve disputes to progress in their integration into the bloc.

Most UN member states, including the US, UK, France, Germany and Türkiye recognized Kosovo as a country separate from its neighbor when Pristina declared independence 15 years ago. But, Belgrade continues to regard it as its territory.

Vucic said in October that Germany and France had 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.