BELGRADE, Serbia 

There is no alternative to an EU-backed deal to normalize ties between Serbia and Kosovo, said Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg on Wednesday.

Schallenberg's remarks came at a joint press conference with Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic during a visit to Vienna.

"There is no alternative to the agreement that has been put forward, and this is fully supported by our EU and American friends, so there is no alternative to it," said Schallenberg.

Schallenberg urged Serbia to join the EU policy and impose sanctions against Russia.

"We hope that Serbia will also participate in the implementation of sanctions. Whoever wants to be a member of the EU, is outside on such a key issue in terms of foreign policy. Can't stop," said Schallenberg.

Dacic, for his part, said that Serbia will not recognize the independence of Kosovo.

"The agreement reached between the parties is not an agreement on the recognition of Kosovo. We will implement the proposal offered by Europe up to our red lines. This means that we will not recognize (Kosovo) and we will not approve Kosovo's membership to the United Nations (UN). We will not approve," said Dacic.

The leaders of Serbia and Kosovo agreed on how to implement the EU-backed deal in the last round of talks March 18 in North Macedonia.

The agreement came after 12 hours of talks between Kosovar Prime Minister Albin Kurti, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and EU officials.

The EU announced Feb. 27 that Serbia and Kosovo agreed to sign a proposal to normalize ties after a meeting in Brussels.

The parties later agreed on how to implement the agreement, according to EU officials.

Serbia-Kosovo dialogue

The EU-led Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue that was launched in 2011 aims to find a mutually agreeable solution for disputes in the framework of a legally binding agreement.

Following a flareup in border tensions last summer, EU special representative for the talks, Miroslav Lajcak presented the bloc’s latest proposal on normalizing in September.

The EU requires Kosovo and Serbia to reach a final agreement and resolve disputes to progress in their integration into the bloc.

Most UN member states, including the US, UK, France, Germany and Türkiye, recognized Kosovo as a separate country after it declared independence from Serbia 15 years ago.

Serbia continues to regard it as its territory.

Vucic said last October that Germany and France had offered to expedite Serbia’s EU membership process if it recognized Kosovo’s independence and allowed it to become a member of international organizations.

According to the leaked proposal, Kosovo should allow the establishment of a union of Serbian municipalities in the north, where many ethnic Serbs live.

EU officials hope to complete negotiations on the plan this spring with Brussels facilitating the talks.