A joint mechanism to oversee the implementation of the Ohrid Agreement for the normalization of relations between Serbia and Kosovo has been established, the EU said Tuesday.
The EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell’s office said the mechanism was established to oversee the implementation of the EU-facilitated agreement as a facilitator of the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue.
The Joint Monitoring Committee will be chaired by the EU’s Special Representative for the dialogue process and Other Western Balkan Regional Affairs, Miroslav Lajcak.
Kosovo will be represented by Ambassador Agron Bajrami in Brussels and Chief Negotiator Petar Petkovic for Serbia.
The Committee will meet regularly in Brussels and job descriptions will be determined May 2 at a meeting.
Serbia and Kosovo reached an agreement Feb. 27 to sign a proposal to normalize ties after a meeting in Brussels.
The agreement came after 12 hours of talks between Albanian Prime Minister Albin Kurti, Serbian President Aleksander Vucic and EU officials.
The parties later agreed how to implement the deal in the last round of talks on March 18 in North Macedonia.
The 11-point agreement demands that the sides maintain good neighborly relations and recognize each other’s documents such as passports and license plates.
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.
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 separate country after it declared independence from Serbia 15 years ago. Serbia, however, continues to regard it as its territory.
Source : AA