President Biden Won’t Appoint A Special Presidential Envoy For Serbia And Kosovo

It is safe to say that President Biden is not looking to appoint his Special Envoy for Serbia and Kosovo.

The White House official told The Pavlovic Today on Monday that President Biden has “two confirmed Ambassadors in the region who are actively working on this issue in close cooperation with the EU.”

Last week, following the breakdown in talks between Kosovo and Serbia, Richard Grenell, former Special Presidential Envoy for Serbia and Kosovo, called upon Joe Biden to “step up” and appoint a Presidential Envoy for Serbia and Kosovo.

“What we need right now is diplomacy with muscle,” said Grenell. 

“There are plenty of individuals within the foreign policy community that have that gravitas, that have that ability to walk into the Oval Office, that Joe Biden values,” said Grenell. “Those people should raise their hand and volunteer.”

Former Special Presidential Envoy for Serbia and Kosovo said that he was “concerned” that Kosovo’s PM Albin Kurti rejected all EU and US ideas and urged President Biden to “bring forward the American leadership that is so needed in the Balkans.”

However, as things stand now, President Biden has no plans to appoint his Special Envoy for Serbia and Kosovo.

On Tuesday morning in Belgrade, the US Ambassador to Serbia, Christopher Hill, is set to meet with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic. 

According to State Department Spokesman Ned Price, DAS Escobar will travel in the coming days to Belgrade and Pristina “to show our high level of interest and engagement in this issue.”

Price told The Pavlovic Today that “it’s incumbent on both parties to use this opportunity to the fullest extent to advance their discussions on normalized relations centered on mutual recognition as well.”

Concerning the path forward for the Serbia-Kosovo talks, Price said that Secretary Blinken won’t “hesitate” to get directly involved with President Vucic and PM Kurti to get the agreement across the finish line.