A State Department spokesperson, speaking to The Pavlovic Today, has emphasized the expectations of the Biden administration ahead of high-level talks in Brussels between Kosovo’s Albin Kurti and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic set to take place this Thursday.
According to a State Department spokesperson, the United States continues to “strongly support” the EU-facilitated Dialogue between Pristina and Belgrade. In the eyes of American diplomacy such dialogue is the way to achieve a peaceful and productive relationship between Kosovo and Serbia.
“We ask Kosovo and Serbia to take seriously their obligations under the agreement on normalization they reached earlier this year and start moving forward on their existing and previous obligations under the Dialogue and the Ohrid Agreement, including establishing an Association of Serb-majority Municipalities,” stated the State Department spokesperson for The Pavlovic Today.
“Constructive engagement and sincere good faith efforts by both Kosovo and Serbia will bring lasting benefits for citizens, including economic growth, and ensure long-term regional stability,” the spokesperson further emphasized.
We ask Kosovo and Serbia to take seriously their obligations under the agreement on normalization they reached earlier this year.
a State Department spokesperson
In the midst of ongoing tensions in northern Kosovo following the Ohrid Agreement, Deputy Assistant Secretary (DAS) Gabriel Escobar has voiced in an interview for the VOA his doubts regarding Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti’s commitment to implement the agreement, especially the annex concerning the establishment of Serb-majority municipalities.
Escobar’s skepticism emerged after a phone call with Prime Minister Kurti, during which the two discussed the upcoming dialogue meeting in Brussels.
On social network X (formerly Twitter), Kurti portrayed the conversation in an optimistic light, stating, “Confirmed my readiness to engage in active negotiations during the dialogue meeting in Brussels & thanked him for U.S. support.”
However, Escobar publicly contradicted Kurti’s portrayal, stating that he did not receive assurance from the Kosovo Prime Minister regarding his commitment to the Ohrid Agreement and the establishment of Serb-majority municipalities.
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