Vučić: The Ohrid Agreement may be a condition for Serbia's EU membership

The Serbian President, Aleksandar Vučić, said on Wednesday that there is a possibility that the Ohrid Agreement could become part of the Chapter 35 negotiations with the European Union, and it is a condition for Serbia's membership in this bloc.

In the 35th chapter, for the admission of Serbia to the EU, the relations of this state with Kosovo are also included.

The Ohrid Agreement foresees that Serbia recognizes the state symbols of Kosovo, does not oppose Kosovo's membership in international organizations, and the parties respect each other's territorial integrity and sovereignty.

Vučić said that for Serbia, "Kosovo's acceptance in the United Nations is out of the question".

"I have met with the French, the Germans, the Italians, all the Europeans, the Americans, about this. Everyone knows everything," Vucic told the Serbian weekly NIN.

As reported earlier by Radio Free Europe, the EU will formally ask the European Commission to include the obligations from the agreement reached in February, between the two parties, for the normalization of relations, in the membership negotiations between Belgrade and Brussels.

"The Council has asked the Commission and the High Representative to urgently propose, before the end of January 2024, changes and additional criteria for chapter 35, for Serbia's negotiations for membership," says the draft with conclusions, which Radio Europe has seen free.

These conclusions will be approved by the ministers for foreign affairs, in a meeting on December 12.

They must then be approved by the European Council, at a summit of leaders, to be held on December 14-15.

The EU regularly emphasizes that the speed of Serbia's membership in the bloc depends on the progress it makes in the dialogue with Kosovo.

On February 27, Kosovo and Serbia reached an agreement on the normalization of relations.

Compliance for the implementation annex has increased in Ohrid, North Macedonia, on March 18.

Prishtina and Belgrade have not signed the agreements, due to Vucic's refusal.

The two countries have reached several agreements since the start of negotiations - in 2011 - but not all of them have been implemented./rel