Serbia, Kosovo Settles Migration Dispute, EU Confirms

According to the EU, Serbia and Kosovo have resolved their disagreement on the migration of citizens through their territory.

“We have a deal,” Josep Borrell, the EU foreign policy chief tweeted.

According to him, as part of negotiations with the EU, Serbia promised to repeal entry/exit paperwork for Kosovo ID holders and Kosovo pledged not to adopt them for Serbian ID holders.

Meanwhile, the disputed usage of Serbian license plates for cars produced in north Kosovo has not yet been resolved by the two nations.

Kosovo, which has a large ethnic Albanian population, announced its autonomy and independence from Serbia in 2008. Serbia has never acknowledged the decision and still considers Kosovo as being a part of its territory.

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The regime, which is dominated by Albanians, and the Serb minority have long-standing tense relations. Following the spark of tension between the two nations which got to its peak late last month, there has been a surge of rebellion from citizens.

The Kosovo administration intended to enact a new law requiring ethnic Serbs to drive with license plates from Kosovo and for anyone entering the nation through Serbia to have special entry documents.

As a result of their refusal to recognize Kosovo’s independence, about 50,000 residents in these regions dismissed getting Kosovan license plates.

Roads were blocked by ethnic Serbs in Kosovo’s northern area, which shares a border with Serbia, and some men are said to have fired bullets in retaliation.

The new rules’ implementation has been stalled by the Kosovo government for a month.

Since he “received guarantees” from Kosovan Prime Minister Albin Kurti, Mr. Borrell claimed that negotiations mediated by the EU had now resulted in an accord over the identification papers.

‘‘Kosovo Serbs, as well as all other citizens, will be able to travel freely between Kosovo and Serbia using their ID cards,’’ he tweeted.

The difficulty regarding car license plates has not been addressed, yet.

Bordered by Montenegro, Serbia, North Macedonia, and Albania, Kosovo is a small, landlocked country situated in the Balkans.

Numerous Serbs believe it to be the birthplace of their own country. However, 92% of the 1.8 million inhabitants of Kosovo are Albanian, whereas only 6% are Serb.

Kosovo, a province of the former nation, sought its independence and sovereignty when Yugoslavia broke up in the 1990s.

In retaliation, Serbia launched a vicious onslaught on ethnic Albanians calling for independence. This was resolved in 1999 when Serbia was the target of a NATO bombing operation from March to June.

Although Serbian soldiers left Kosovo, the conflict hasn’t been settled for several Kosovo Albanians and Serbs. With a current military strength of 3,770, the NATO-led Kosovo Force (KFor) is still based in Kosovo.

Currently, 99 out of 193 UN member states—including the US, the UK, and 22 out of 27 EU nations—recognize Kosovo’s independence.

Africa Today News, New York

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