Kosovo-Serbia rail, road deals signed at security conference

TIRANA, Albania — Serbia and Kosovo on Friday signed U.S.-brokered deals on restoring railway and highway links.

The deals were signed during an international security conference in Munich, Germany, said Richard Grenell, U.S. President Donald Trump’s envoy in the talks.

“Agreements on air, rail and highway connections will facilitate the flow of people and goods between Serbia and Kosovo,” the U.S. embassy tweeted.

A separate deal on resuming air links was signed last month. Details and timing for the application of both agreements are yet to be known.

Both countries’ leaders were present at the signing ceremony together with Grenell and hailed the deals.

“I am happy to see progress today and many thanks to President Trump and Richard Grenell on behalf of Serbia, because we feel we will have a better future because of this and that we will ensure peace for future decades,” Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said.

“Another milestone!” Kosovo President Hashim Thaci said on Twitter.” A great step towards reaching a final peace agreement.”

Grenell, the U.S. Ambassador to Germany, was appointed by Trump in October as the special envoy to talks to normalize relations between Kosovo and Serbia. The European Union-mediated negotiations started in 2011 but have been stalled since Kosovo imposed a trade tax on Serbian goods in 2018.

Serbia does not accept Kosovo’s 2008 declaration of independence, although its former province has been recognized by about 100 countries, including the United States and most EU nations.

Serbia’s brutal intervention against Kosovo’s independence-seeking ethnic Albanians in 1998-99 prompted NATO to intervene to stop the conflict. Relations have remained tense ever since.

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Jovana Gec reported from Belgrade, Serbia.

Llazar Semini, The Associated Press