The leaders of Serbia and Kosovo resumed talks Sunday aimed at normalizing their long-strained relations, more than 20 years after Belgrade sent troops into its former territory to crush an uprising by ethnic Albanian separatists.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Kosovo Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti were holding video talks mediated by the European Union’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, aimed at setting up a face-to-face meeting between the leaders, possibly in Brussels on Thursday. The process, known as the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, has been frozen since November 2018.
Borrell said in a video statement that clinching an agreement on normalizing their ties “is crucial for a better future for the people of Kosovo and Serbia. It is crucial for their European perspective, and for the security and stability of the region.
“These talks will require political courage from both sides. It will require commitment and engagement, in the spirit of compromise and pragmatism,” he said.