Serbia, Kosovo Make History Attending Meeting

By

By Fatmir Aliu

Kosovo and Serbia honoured an EU-brokered deal on Tuesday by taking part in a meeting together in Brussels on the environment.

Serbia and Kosovo officials finally sat down at the same table on Tuesday in Brussels, as both sides honoured an agreement on Kosovo’s representation at regional summits.

Kosovo - Serbia Relations
Kosovo – Serbia Relations

The two parties also signed the joint conclusions of the session, called by the European Commission, which pledged further cooperation on the environment.

It was the first time that Serbia had agreed to take part in such a meeting alongside Kosovo.

“This is the first time that the representatives of Serbia did not boycott such a ministerial level meeting owing to Kosovo’s partiticipation,” the Kosovo government noted afterwards in a press release.

Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008. But Serbia does not recognise the new country and Belgrade refused previously to participate in meetings where Kosovo was represented as an independent country with its own state symbols.

The two parties reached an EU-led agreement on the issue in February, but it has not been implemented to date.

Under the terms of the complex formula, it was agreed that Kosovo would be represented with the name “Kosovo” and an accompanying footnote referring both to UN Resolution 1244 and the opinion of the International Court of Justice, ICJ, on Kosovo’s declaration of independence.

Serbia demanded mention of the 1999 UN resolution on Kosovo, as it sees this as favourable to Serbia’s claims to Kosovo.

Kosovo, on the other hand, sought mention of the 2010 ICJ ruling, which found that Kosovo’s declaration of independence did not violate international law or Resolution 1244.

The press release from the authorities in Pristina noted that the Brussels meeting passed off without incident.

“At the end of the meeting, all ministers signed a joint statement, vowing to abide by their obligations to further strengthen regional cooperation on environmental issues,” it said.

EU-mediated talks started in March last year aimed at normalising relations between Kosovo and Serbia, both of which share a desire to join the EU one day.

The two sides have reached deals on trade, freedom of movement, cadastral registry and mutual recognition of university diplomas, but none of the agreements has been signed.

Kosovo has accused Serbia of putting most of the agreements on hold.

Talks between the two sides halted following the May general elections in Serbia, which resulted in the Democrats, led by Boris Tadic, losing power.

Serbia now has a new government and the talks are expected to resume soon at a higher political level than before.

Balkan Insight

The Balkan Insight (formerly the Balkin Investigative Reporting Network, BIRN) is a close group of editors and trainers that enables journalists in the region to produce in-depth analytical and investigative journalism on complex political, economic and social themes. BIRN emerged from the Balkan programme of the Institute for War & Peace Reporting, IWPR, in 2005. The original IWPR Balkans team was mandated to localise that programme and make it sustainable, in light of changing realities in the region and the maturity of the IWPR intervention. Since then, its work in publishing, media training and public debate activities has become synonymous with quality, reliability and impartiality. A fully-independent and local network, it is now developing as an efficient and self-sustainable regional institution to enhance the capacity for journalism that pushes for public debate on European-oriented political and economic reform.

10 thoughts on “Serbia, Kosovo Make History Attending Meeting

  • September 26, 2012 at 3:50 pm
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    Considering who is the author of this article (Albanian) there’s no wonder why such misleading title is given. Serbia will not participate with any meetings where “Kosovo” is presented as the state. There might be some tricky moves by some governments that would evoke articles like this. No history is making here, Kosovo is and will be disputed territory, not a country.

    Reply
    • September 26, 2012 at 5:12 pm
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      It is a country. If someone comes in and kills innocent people and rapes 50, 000 girls in Bosnia and Kosovo- then they both deserve to brake free. No one should have to stay in an violent and abusive relationship. The Internationale court ruled that Kosovo did not violate any international laws when it declared independence. Congratulation Kosovo!

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      • September 26, 2012 at 10:04 pm
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        Serbs must have been very “busy” to “rape 50000 women”. This distorted spin will not change the fact that Kosovo is the protectorate and disputed region of Serbia. Maybe you and other Albanian spinners should learn some valuable lessons. First one is do not spread lies. It will come back to hunt you.

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        • September 26, 2012 at 10:59 pm
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          You go and see the girls raped in Kosovo and Bosnia by serbs, and then come back and tell they are lying. The Serbs murdered and raped many thousands of innocent children who had cried everyday for the Serbs to stop killing their family members, but did they stop – NO! During these wars by the Serbs, the Serbs were showing anything on their T.V but the crimes their army was doing in these countries. In fact, during these wars, Serbian T.V was showing propaganda movies, comparing Bill Clinton to Hitler, yet they did not realize they have a Hitler of their own in Slobodan M. As far as Kosovo goes, Kosovo had no choice, did you not see what the Serbs did in Croatia, Bosnia and finally in Kosovo? The crimes committed by the Serbs were real – rape, torturer and murder of many Muslim innocent children. The international community saw what occurred in other places and did not want that to continue in Kosovo. The Serbs are upset with Kosovo because Kosovo fought back with NATO, they took the pains of war right to the front steps of Belgrade- they gave them a taste of the real pain that they caused in previous years to others. Kosovo had no choice but to brake free, you can’t expect someone to stay in an abusive relationship.

          Reply
  • September 27, 2012 at 6:29 am
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    Kosovo is Serbia simple! Albanians have their own country called Albania.

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    • September 27, 2012 at 4:44 pm
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      The west was on the Albanian side because they wanted a Camp in Kosovo. Now they have it. Also, Serbia has a relationship with Russia and the west decided Albania would do what the west wanted. There are many countries who now have their ideas of what they can now do.

      Reply
  • September 27, 2012 at 8:20 am
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    I am a psychotherapist and UK national.

    I have treated a number of rape survivors of the Balkan wars. These crimes did happen and caused devastation. The Kosovans previously were treated as 3rd class citizens under the Serbs.

    Now thank God, Kosava is NOT Serbia

    Reply
  • September 27, 2012 at 12:00 pm
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    Very soon an Albanian criminal gang from Pristhina will have to answer many questions where are hundreds of Serbs whos organs (hearts, kidneys) were taken for resale. Albanians will have Serbs for enemies for decades if they don’t come out clean and prosecute responsible for these horrific crimes. Albanian pathetic 90s propaganda on “thousands of raped women” no longer goes well. Come up with something that will stick. But before that make sure that Tachi is available for questioning by the international investigation.

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  • September 27, 2012 at 1:21 pm
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    Mick if you want to go back to History and say Kosovo is Serbia because it merely controlled it for only 287 years in total and that includes the 87 years since 1913, then you have no leg to stand on, because it was not in Serbian control in the last 2713 years of the last 3000 years.

    So in the last 3000 years Serbia controlled Kosovo for a mere fraction of the total time.

    NO the area which is currently called KOSOVA

    1. Was not Serbia

    2. Is not Serbia

    3. Will not be Serbia

    Reply
  • September 27, 2012 at 1:25 pm
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    Albania is just one state of 6 in USA

    United States of Albania

    #1 Albania
    #2 Kosova
    #3 Illirda
    #4 Mali Zi
    #5 East Kosova
    #6 Chameria

    Reply

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