BELGRADE (Serbia), January 18 (SeeNews) – The presidents of Serbia and Kosovo, Aleksandar Vucic and Hashim Thaci, have agreed to resume the EU-facilitated normalisation talks between the two governments, European Commission (EC) spokesperson Maja Kocijancic said on Thursday.
"Presidents Vucic and Thaci spoke over the phone yesterday late in the afternoon and first of all agreed to continue the EU-facilitated dialogue," Kocijancic said in a video file posted on the website of the EC.
Serbia on Tuesday withdrew its delegation from the new round of talks for normalisation of relations with Kosovo in Brussels as a result of the murder of Oliver Ivanovic, a leading Kosovo Serb politician, who was shot dead in Kosovska Mitrovica.
An investigation into the murder of Ivanovic has already been launched and there are contacts between the Serbian and Kosovo authorities, while the EU Rule of Law mission in Kosovo (EULEX) is ready to support it within its mandate, Kocijancic said.
Serbia's government said on Monday it will resume its talks for normalisation of relations with Kosovo this week after a suspension that had lasted for more than a year. According to the Serbian news agency Tanjug, the talks were to focus on the establishment of a Community of Serb Municipalities in Kosovo, which should define some type of autonomy for the Serb minority.
Belgrade does not recognise the independence of Kosovo, its former province predominantly populated by ethnic Albanians. Kosovo proclaimed independence from Serbia unilaterally in February 2008 and has so far been recognised by 108 of 193 UN members states.