Several thousand people protested on March 17 in Belgrade against a plan on the normalization of ties between Serbia and Kosovo on the eve of a new round of high-level talks on the plan.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Kosovar Prime Minister Albin Kurti are to hold the talks on March 18 in Ohrid, North Macedonia, hosted by European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell and Miroslav Lajcak, the EU's special representative for the dialogue between Pristina and Belgrade.
Demonstrators in Belgrade said they opposed the plan because they view it as recognition of Kosovo independence. Serbia's constitution considers Kosovo part of its territory even though Kosovo declared independence in 2008.
"This is just the start of the protest," said Milos Jovanovic, leader of the Democratic Party of Serbia, which was one of the organizers of the protest.
The plan "is definitely a recognition [of Kosovo], whether you say it explicitly or whether it is implied indirectly it is still recognition and it is not acceptable," Jovanovic said.
The leader of a right-wing group that also participated in the protest said the group opposed Vucic making "some kind of compromises" with Kurti.
Some masked participants wore symbols of the Wagner group, Russian mercenaries fighting in Ukraine. RFE/RL could not determine the connection between the people wearing Wagner insignia and the group.
Borrell confirmed earlier on March 17 that European officials received comments from Serbia and Kosovo on an implementation annex to the agreement on the road to normalization ahead of the meeting.
"We will talk tomorrow and we will make a consolidated version of the annex based on their feedback. And then, I hope, Kosovo and Serbia will be able to agree on the final result of these talks," Borrell said in Skopje on March 17 after talks with the president of North Macedonia.
The implementation annex will be an integral part of the agreement and is meant to share "a clear understanding of how all their provisions will be implemented," Borrell said.
The meeting is a continuation of a meeting that Kurti and Vucic held on February 27 in Brussels at which they agreed on the text of the principal proposal. Borrell said "discussions are no longer necessary" on the proposal, and therefore, only the implementation annex will be on the table.
Borrell emphasized that he is going to Ohrid with hopes that he will face a unique chance for Kosovo and Serbia to move forward and make progress in normalizing relations.
"If we manage to do that, we will set the relationship between Kosovo and Serbia on a sustainable, long-term and future-oriented one, overcoming the permanent management of the crisis we have been in for the last few months," he said.
He estimated that this will have a positive impact on the European path of Kosovo and Serbia and increase the stability of the region.
"I hope that we will create a new dynamic and a new momentum for expansion, which should be beneficial for everyone in the region," Borrell said.
Borrell on March 17 also spoke by phone with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken about the latest developments regarding the process, according to a statement issued by the European External Action Service.
"Both agreed that this was the right time to make significant steps forward in the interest of the EU integration of Kosovo and Serbia," the statement said.
The U.S. special envoy for the Western Balkans, Gabriel Escobar, visited Belgrade and Pristina earlier this week. Escobar said at a press conference on March 17 in Pristina that he will be present at the meeting in Ohrid, and he expects a positive outcome of the talks.
The EU normalization proposal does not oblige Serbia to formally recognize Kosovo's independence, but the two countries would recognize each other's documents, such as passports, diplomas, and license plates.