Serbian Interior Minister Ivica Dačić said on Monday that he never claimed Serbia was “tricked” into signing the 2013 Brussels Agreement with Kosovo, clarifying that his recent comments referred to failures in its implementation, not the signing itself.
“I never said, nor would I say, that Serbia, President Aleksandar Vučić, or I were deceived into signing the Brussels Agreement,” Dačić said in a statement released on July 28. “That would imply we didn’t know what we were signing.”
Dačić, who signed the agreement as Serbia’s prime minister in 2013, had sparked controversy the day before during an appearance on national broadcaster RTS, where he said Serbia had been “deceived” regarding the Brussels deal. The remarks triggered swift backlash from the opposition, with the Party of Freedom and Justice (SSP) calling for the resignations of both Dačić and President Vučić.
Dačić clarified that his comment referred to Kosovo’s failure to fulfill its obligations, allegedly with tacit support from the European Union and the United States.
“When I say we were deceived, I don’t mean we didn’t know what we were signing. I mean we were misled in the agreement’s implementation,” he said.
The Brussels Agreement, brokered by the EU, aimed to normalize relations between Belgrade and Pristina. However, twelve years on, many of its provisions remain unimplemented, with both sides accusing each other of non-compliance.
Dačić stressed that Serbia remains open to dialogue and compromise, but said the EU must act as a neutral guarantor, and the U.S. should abandon double standards.
“There is a red line—and it is not geographical. It is moral, historical, and national,” he said, without specifying what that red line is. “When it is crossed, Serbia will not be to blame, but those who pushed us to that point.”
Brussels has not yet responded to a request for comment on Dačić’s latest statements.
The EU-led dialogue between Serbia and Kosovo began in 2011. In 2023, the two sides reached the Ohrid Agreement, which was never formally signed but is considered binding by the EU. It includes provisions on self-management for Kosovo Serbs, mutual recognition of national symbols, and a non-blocking commitment from Serbia regarding Kosovo’s membership in international organizations.
The dialogue has been effectively stalled since September 2023, when an armed group of Kosovo Serbs attacked police officers in Banjska, killing one. No high-level meetings have taken place since.
EU envoy Peter Sorensen recently said preparations are under way for a new round of high-level political dialogue, but no date has been confirmed.