Serbia and Kosovo normalise relations in historic agreement

Anna Sonny, 10 May 2013

Serbia and Kosovo have normalised relations in what has been hailed as an historic moment for the two Balkan States.

After ten rounds of talks with High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs Catherine Ashton, often up to 14 hours at a time, Serbia’s Prime Minister Ivica Dacic and Kosovan Prime Minister Hashim Thaci both agreed to sign a draft agreement. The negotiations sound rigorous but there has been a lot of ice to break; relations between the countries have long been frozen.

The war that split the former Yugoslavia ended in 1995 but ethnic tensions still divide the region today, with friction existing between the mainly ethnic Albanians inhabiting Kosovo and the predominantly Serb-populated North. Kosovo declared independence in 2008 after NATO’s intervention quashed Serbian forces, but Serbia has refused to recognise this. While the deal made last month still stops short of this recognition, it does mean that Serbia accepts the authority of the Pristina government over Kosovo, including the north. In turn Kosovo will grant a large amount of autonomy to the Serbs living in the north.

The deal has provoked strong resistance from both sides and even death threats for both the leaders, with the head of the Serbian Orthodox church speaking out against the ‘pure surrender’ of important historical territory.

What is interesting is that even in the midst of an economic crisis, the lure of EU accession has provided some impetus towards making peace between the two states. The European Commission has recommended starting talks with Kosovo on reaching a Stabilisation and Association Agreement with the EU, which is generally considered to be the first step towards EU accession. Serbia is hoping to get a start date for talks on EU entry in June this year.

Entry for both countries is still a faint light on the horizon, as is the complete diffusion of tension between the two states. But it seems for now that the EU has managed to get both countries on the path towards peace.