UK foreign secretary urges Kosovo and Serbia to make progress in normalization talks

PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) — The United Kingdom’s foreign secretary on Wednesday gave assurances of Britain’s interest in the Western Balkan region while visiting Kosovo, urging both Kosovo and Serbia to make progress in normalization talks.

David Lammy was on the second day of a visit to Kosovo where he met with senior officials, calling on Pristina to form a new Cabinet quickly following the country’s Feb. 9 parliamentary election.

Prime Minister Albin Kurti’s Self-Determination Movement Party, or Vetevendosje!, won 48 seats in the 120-seat parliament, falling short of a majority.

Lammy assured Kosovar officials that “the U.K. continues to play its essential role as a key friend and partner of this great nation.”

The secretary expressed support for the EU-facilitated Kosovo-Serbia normalization talks. Both countries aspire to join the bloc.

“This is a region that matters to Britain,” he said at a briefing after meeting with Kosovo’s President Vjosa Osmani. “We want a lasting, peaceful normalization.”

Kosovo-Serbia ties remain tense and the 14-year-long normalization talks have failed to make progress.

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Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008, a move Belgrade and its key allies Russia and China refuse to recognize.

Later in Serbia, Lammy discussed efforts at Kosovo-Serbia normalization with President Aleksandar Vucic, who has faced months of anti-corruption protests triggered by a deadly train station canopy crash that killed 16 people.

Serbia plays a “fundamental role” in delivering stability in the Balkans, Lammy said at a joint news conference with Vucic.

Lammy also hailed an agreement with Serbia to combat people smuggling in the Balkans, addressing the surge of migrants reaching the U.K. in small boats across the English Channel.

Vucic said that Serbia and the U.K. have different views regarding Kosovo’s independence but agree that “dialogue is of key importance and that problems should be solved through talks to find compromise solutions.”

The EU and the United States have urged Kosovo and Serbia to implement agreements reached two years ago that include a commitment by Kosovo to establish an Association of Serb-Majority Municipalities and Serbia’s obligation to provide de facto recognition of Kosovo.

“I hope that the next government will address all citizens’ needs, including by making progress to integrate Kosovo Serbs and engage vigorously in the EU-led dialogue,” said Lammy.

Around 11,400 people died in the 1998-1999 war in Kosovo, mostly from Kosovo’s ethnic Albanian majority. A 78-day NATO air campaign ended the fighting and pushed Serbian forces out.