The Prime Minister of Serbia, Ana Brnabić, placed a reservation in Brussels on the Declaration adopted at the European Union - Western Balkans summit, stating that alignment with that document does not mean any recognition of Kosovo's independence from Belgrade, Radio Television of Serbia reported.
On the occasion of the Declaration adopted last night by the leaders of the EU and its member states, with which all partners of the Union from the Western Balkans, including Serbia, agreed, Brnabić stated that the Agreement on the road to normalization between Kosovo and Serbia, with the Implementation Annex from Ohrid, "is considered acceptable only in a context that does not refer to any de facto or de jure recognition of Kosovo".
"Serbia, committed to the process of European integration and negotiations, generally aligns itself, with reservations, with the Declaration from Brussels, adopted at the EU-Western Balkans summit on December 13, 2023, as a political statement and a legally non-binding document," states the text, which Brnabić submitted to the European Union.
The text adds that Serbia's alignment with the Declaration "does not affect the fact that Kosovo and Metohija remain an integral part of the territory of Serbia under international administration, in accordance with Resolution 1244 of the UN Security Council".
"The above-mentioned document does not represent a legally binding contract under international law. Serbia emphasizes that harmonization (with the Declaration) in no way means recognition of the membership of the so-called 'Kosovo' in the UN, the system of organizations and agencies of the UN, nor the so-called territorial integrity of the so-called 'Kosovo,'" he says. are in the text.
The Declaration states, among other things, that the leaders of the EU and its member states expect from Belgrade and Pristina "constructive engagement in order to achieve rapid progress in the normalization of their relations, which is of key importance for the security and stability of the entire region."
"We appeal to the parties to fully implement the Agreement on the Road to Normalization and its Implementation Annex, as well as all previous agreements, without further delays or preconditions. We also expect the parties to continue to make continuous efforts to reduce tensions in accordance with EU requirements and to refrain from unilateral and uncoordinated actions that could lead to further tension and violence, as well as rhetoric that is not conducive to the normalization of relations," the Declaration reads.
In the last, 35th point of the Declaration, it is written that the leaders of the EU and its member states "welcome the fact that the partners from the Western Balkans agree with the points mentioned above".
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