Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic.

Photo: Europa press

The President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, warned on Friday that the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) against the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, would hinder the high-level talks scheduled for this Saturday in Ohrid ( North Macedonia) to normalize relations with Kosovo.

"Serbia's position in Ohrid will be more difficult, because we will have to think about every little step that we are going to take in the future," said

Vucic, very close to the Russian president and critic of the sanctions against Moscow for the war in Ukraine, during a rally in Srem.

"It seems absolutely clear to me that the world is descending into an accelerating spiral of the conflict in Ukraine

," added the Serbian president in comments collected by Tanjug.

The meeting, led by Vucic and the Kosovar Prime Minister, Albin Kurti, would focus on finalizing the Annex on the implementation of the European Union Agreement on the path towards normalization of relations between Belgrade and Pristina, all under the auspices of Brussels, mainly represented by the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice President of the European Commission, Josep Borrell.

Belgrade and Pristina have been negotiating in Brussels for decades with few results and a poor record of implementing the agreements already reached.

European sources acknowledged last month to Europa Press that the agreement to implement the community of municipalities with a Serb majority, a special political status for northern Kosovo, is "difficult" but they stress that it is a long-term commitment that is necessary achieve.

The Serbian president in the Macedonian city has anticipated that in principle there will be no relevant advances during the meeting.

The ICC issued an arrest warrant for Putin on Friday on suspicion of a war crime.

Russia has completely ignored the decision, as it does not recognize the court as the competent judicial body over its affairs since it withdrew in 2016 from the Rome Statute.

How did the negotiation between Serbia and Kosovo develop this Saturday?

Serbian President Alexándar Vucic speaks to the media after his meeting with Kosovo's Prime Minister Albert Kurti in Ohrid, North Macedonia, on March 18, 2023. Photo: AP

After holding a long meeting in the city of Ohrid (North Macedonia), the Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albert Kurti, and the President of Serbia, Alexándar Vucic, reached an agreement on how to implement the Western plan to normalize relations, according to It was announced on Saturday night by the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, who participated in the meeting as a mediator.

“Today's goal for Kosovo and Serbia was to agree on how to implement the agreement accepted at the last high-level meeting held on February 27 in Brussels.

The agreement was reached, but today it was about agreeing how to apply it.

It is often said that the devil is in the details.

(...) Well, sometimes the devil is on the calendar.

(…)

, ”Borrell highlighted.

Likewise, the head of European diplomacy stressed that Belgrade and Pristina agreed to the annex on the implementation of the commitments assumed in the agreement.

The two documents are now considered confirmed and will be published, the senior official explained.

On the other hand, he assured that Serbia and Kosovo pledged to respect all points of the agreement and its full implementation.

In particular, he mentioned article 7 on the Community of Serb Municipalities in Kosovo and Metojia.

“For Article 7, Kosovo

, and when I say immediately, I mean immediately, for the establishment of arrangements and preparations to ensure a true level of self-governance for the Serb community,” Borrell noted.

For his part, Vucic emphasized to journalists that both parties

and that, despite their "numerous" disagreements, they agreed "on various points."

“I have not signed anything even today.

We have made good progress in a constructive atmosphere.

, ”said the president, quoted by the Serbian portal

At the same time, he announced that tomorrow he will explain each point to the public, while stressing that there is still "serious work ahead."

"If we want to persevere on the European path, our progress will also be appreciated in terms of implementation," he said, not without insisting that the training of Serb communities in Kosovo is "a priority obligation" for Pristina.

Meanwhile, the Kosovar prime minister denounced that Vucic tries to

.

“The other party, as in the Brussels talks on February 27, avoids signing the agreement and now also the annex.

Now it is up to the European Union to find a mechanism to make this agreement

and internationally binding," Kurti was quoted as saying by the

newspaper .

The day before, thousands of people took to the streets of the Serbian capital, Belgrade, to reject the agreement to normalize relations with the rebel province.

Among the main conditions of the agreement at the end of February are

and symbols of Serbia and Kosovo, including passports, registration plates and others.

In addition, the parties agree to resolve any dispute exclusively by peaceful means, without resorting to the threat or use of force.

(With information from Europa Press and RT in Spanish)