Serbia & Kosovo sign US-brokered rail, road deals in Munich

Serbia and Kosovo on Friday signed US-brokered deals on restoring railway and highway links. The deals were signed during an international security conference in Munich, Germany, according to Richard Grenell, US President Donald Trump’s envoy in the talks.

A separate deal on resuming air links was signed last month. “Agreements on air, rail and highway connections will facilitate the flow of people and goods between Serbia and Kosovo,” the US embassy tweeted. Details and timing for the application of both agreements are yet to be known.

“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,” AP quoted Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic as saying. Kosovo President Hashim Thaci described the deals as “a great step towards reaching a final peace agreement.”

Serbia does not accept the breakaway province’s declaration of independence proclaimed in 2008. The EU-mediated negotiations started in 2011 but have been stalled since Kosovo imposed a trade tax on Serbian goods in 2018.