EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell introduced an settlement Wednesday between Kosovo and Serbia to finish a dispute and to maneuver towards the normalization of relations. Photo by Nabil Mounzer/EPA-EFE

“This is an important achievement,” EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell mentioned in a video assertion asserting the deal.

“The parties have agreed to measures that avoid further escalation and to fully focus on our proposal on the normalization of relations.”

The deal ends a prolonged row over license plates between the 2 international locations that intensified lately with Kosovo implementing measures to fantastic drivers of Serbia-issued plated autos in a transfer to reflect Serbia’s legal guidelines.

In protest, ethnic Serbs in Kosovo resigned from public establishments in mass, leaving fewer than 50 Kosovo Albanian officers on the streets of its northern Mitrovica area.

Borrell had warned final week that this may create a harmful vacuum wherein “the worst can happen.”

Under the settlement, Kosovo will stop any additional implementation of the re-registration of autos and Serbia will cease issuing license plates with Kosovo metropolis denominations.

Though the deal’s specifics haven’t been launched, it seems just like the one Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti balked at on Monday following eight hours of talks because it was not accompanied by measures towards normalizing relations between the 2 nations.

The lack of normalized relations between Kosovo and Serbia has been credited with impeding not solely their international locations’ prosperity but in addition their progress towards gaining EU membership. It can be thought-about a menace to stability within the Balkans.

“After today’s agreement, we should continue our intensive talks on the proposal of EU, backed by Germany and France, for the normalization of relations,” Besnik Bislimi, Kosovo’s first deputy prime minister who participated within the talks Wednesday, mentioned in a statement.

Borrell mentioned that he’ll invite each international locations again to Brussels within the coming days to work on subsequent steps.

“I would like to point out that we also agreed that in the case of obstruction by either party the EU facilitator may terminate the process,” he mentioned.

The United States, which had expressed dismay earlier this week when the 2 events failed to achieve an settlement, mentioned Wednesday that it welcomes that they’ve agreed to keep away from additional escalation of tensions.

“We welcome the decision by the parties to put the interests of all their people at the forefront of their decision making and take steps to improve the everyday lives of their citizens,” U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price mentioned in a statement.

“The two parties took a giant stop forward today … towards assuring peace and stability throughout the region.”