Gabriel Escobar, Deputy Assistant State Secretary, a veteran diplomat whose tenure as the Envoy for the Western Balkans extended beyond the conventional two-year term, bid farewell to the press during a briefing on Wednesday.
Preceding his departure for the next assignment that will soon be announced by the State Department, The Pavlovic Today asked Escobar regarding his discussions with Jim O’Brien concerning the meetings with EU Special Representative Miroslav Lajcak that are taking place this week in Washington DC.
Escobar revealed the key items on the agenda poised to shape the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina along with the two messages emerging from Foggy Bottom that Lajcak will carry to the region.
“The one thing that he is going to take away from his meetings in Washington is that the United States continues to strongly and fully support the EU-facilitated dialogue. We will be his partner,” noted Gabriel Escobar.
“We will continue to support the path that he has expertly navigated for the two countries,” added Escobar, marking it as “the first important message” Lajcak will convey to Belgrade and Pristina from Foggy Bottom.
The second point on the agenda during Lajcak’s visit to Washington DC, as outlined by Escobar, will be focused on “strategies on how to move the implementation of Ohrid forward so that the region does benefit from this historic agreement.”
The departing envoy for the Western Balkans highlighted that discussions between the US and the EU Special Representative for the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue will center on the Kosovo government’s decision to halt the use of the Serbian dinar. Specifically, Escobar disclosed, “How do we continue to move toward getting a transparent electronic private sector process to allow people who are entitled to benefits from Serbia to receive them in Kosovo.”
When asked by the Pavlovic Today to reflect on the last three years on the job, Escobar gave an honest review. He talked about the toughest parts of his role, what went well, what didn’t, and what he’s hoping for in the future.
“You’re asking me where I would have hoped that we would have made more progress,” he began. “I do think that on the question of Serbia-Kosovo, the normalization agreement should not have been that hard to implement,” he remarked.
Escobar proceeded to outline the array of incentives available for Kosovo, emphasizing a long list of perks: “additional recognitions, Partnership for Peace, EU candidacy, strategic bilateral dialogue with the United States, and a donors’ conference.”
On the flip side, he noted the potential benefits for Serbia, citing, “a donors’ conference, quicker resolution to the Chapter 35 question, which would allow Serbia to close that chapter, and additional investment for both countries.”
In return, Escobar was abundantly clear, “the two countries had to recognize and that they would have to work together to make the life of people who are essentially dual citizens in Kosovo much better.”
In retrospect, he said, “That one I thought would have been easier.” Additionally, he wished that “we would have made more progress in the European process for the three NATO members.” However, the American optimism for the region remains steadfast.
“I still am very hopeful that all three will move very quickly when some of their internal questions are resolved. But Montenegro, I really do believe that they will be the next. They will be the next member of the European Union.”
Escobar underscored that the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina “must continue.” He noted how the EU-led dialogue has been shown as a useful mechanism for crisis management and an essential tool in bringing some resolution to one of the most difficult challenges in the Western Balkans.
“I think Mr. Lajcak has done a tremendous job,” he commended the EU Special Representative for his efforts on the matter.
Escobar on disinformation campaign accusing him of shady links with the Serbian government: Everything in that report is a lie
Escobar, renowned for his deep commitment to a free and independent press, took a moment to denounce the unfounded disinformation campaign circulating over the weekend by an “alleged journalist” who accused him of shady links with the Serbian government.
“Everything in that report is a lie,” Escobar said firmly. “First of all, I’m not being fired, and everyone at the State Department has verified that.”
Regarding disinformation concerning his spouse, Escobar clarified that his wife does not receive funds from any foreign government.
“My wife, in every embassy that we’ve served in, Bolivia, Portugal, Italy, and even Serbia, has been a proud proponent of people-to-people contacts. She does that without any kind of payment, without any kind of contract. She will continue to do that,” he clarified.
Finally, regarding the alleged ties to a Texas law firm spread by the same “alleged journalist,” Escobar did not hold back.
“That law firm does have public-facing websites, and at some point, a responsible journalist may reach out to them and confirm that there are no links,” he said. Finally, the claim that the information came from congressional sources, Escobar said “is false because Congress has not been notified of any personnel changes.”
He noted that disinformation came out after he had talks with the Kosovo government about his transition. “The report came out after I had, through diplomatic channels, reached out to all the governments in the region to start talking about the transition. This report came out shortly after I communicated with the government of Kosovo. This kind of disinformation that is unfortunate has been propagated in the Western Balkans. And also, I might add, one of the reasons why the media context in Kosovo has been so criticized by independent journalists and independent organizations.”
Escobar conveyed gratitude for the support from the State Department, leaders, and journalists, against “lies that are intended to cast doubt on the commitment I have to the work in the Balkans.”
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