Kosovo and Serbia settled their dispute over license plates. EU Foreign Affairs Coordinator Josep Borrell posted this on Twitter on Saturday. Citizens of both countries can now cross the border without any problems if they carry their ID with them.
Tensions between the two countries have risen rapidly in recent months. This was because Kosovo ordered about 50,000 Serbs in the border region to take a license plate from Kosovo. All Serbs wishing to travel to Kosovo will have to present an additional document.
The Kosovo government developed this plan because number plates bearing the letters RKS (Republic of Kosovo) are not allowed in Serbia. It is not immediately clear whether Serbia will accept these paintings from Kosovo from now on. Kosovo media reported earlier, based on sources, that this would be the case, as part of an agreement approaching at the time.
The two parties entered into talks at the initiative of the United States and the European Union. The latter party joined to act as a mediator. By mid-August, the talks seemed fruitless, but Serbia and Kosovo continued to engage in talks even without the European Union.
Kosovo gained independence from Serbia in 2008. More than a hundred countries recognize Kosovo as an independent country, but Serbia does not. Serbia considers Kosovo an illegal breakaway province.
This wasn’t the first time he had been concerned about service number plates. The Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, also wanted to put an end to these digital billboards in his country last year. It also led to the closure of border crossings. At that time, Kosovo deployed special police forces and Serbia deployed warplanes along the border.
