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The US Special Envoy for the Western Balkans, Gabriel Escobar, said today that the agreement on the normalization of Kosovo-Serbia relations should focus on mutual recognition and that the talks are not about its status.
He made the remarks during a hearing in the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee on the Western Balkans: Supporting Peace and Progress, during which he noted the Russian and Chinese threats to progress in the region.
Mr Escobar, who was in Pristina and Belgrade earlier this month with European envoy Miroslav Lajcak, said the United States strongly supported the talks facilitated by the European Union, which is also the place where both sides , as equals, must work to resolve differences and reach a comprehensive agreement, which both countries need for their European future. This, he said, should focus on mutual recognition.
He expressed support for the formation of the Association of Serb-majority municipalities in Kosovo, which is the most controversial issue in the Kosovo-Serbia talks.
“We support the creation of the Association for many reasons. The first is that for the parties have agreed. Although the Constitutional Court (of Kosovo) has said that some parts are not in accordance with the Constitution, it has not said that the Association itself is unconstitutional. In the framework of the talks, it is up to Kosovo and Serbia to decide what it would look like (association). It should not be, and of course we do not want it to be similar to Republika Srpska, but we have called on it and my colleague Lajcak has called on the Kosovo government to consider models that they believe may be appropriate, that will not harm the sovereignty and functionality of Kosovo“, He said.
Asked by Senator Bob Menendez what is required of Serbia in exchange for pressure on Kosovo for association, Mr. Escobar said that “The purpose of the talks is for everything to move in the best interest of Kosovo, for us to be honest, with the end result, mutual recognition. So it is not about the status of Kosovo but the recognition that it is an independent and sovereign country”.
Mr. Escobar said that the United States expects from the government of Kosovo “fully engage in EU-mediated talks and see them as real negotiations to achieve the main goal which is mutual recognition with Serbia, recognition by the five EU states that have not recognized Kosovo and membership in all the international organizations they want to join. This will require compromise and we have been very clear. Our new Ambassador, Jeff Hovenier, made this very clear during his first meetings with the government (of Prime Minister Albin) Kurti and will continue to do so“, He said.
Mr Escobar said the pillars of US policy in the Western Balkans were Europe, NATO and regional integration.
“It is our belief that these countries should be part of the European Union. They are culturally, historically and economically part of Europe and we believe they should be members of the bloc“, He underlined that every country that is a member of the European Union is more democratic, more stable and more advanced at no cost to others.
“The second pillar is NATO membership, for those who qualify for it and those countries that are not yet interested in NATO, to be more engaged with the alliance“He said, emphasizing Serbia, which claims to be neutral, but has increased its engagement with the United States and NATO over the past two years.
“And finally, it is regional economic and political integration and therefore we support the Open Balkans, the common regional market and any program that creates inclusion in the European market“, He said.
Mr Escobar said regional progress was threatened by the political and economic influence of China and Russia, stressing that Russia was using energy supplies to foment corruption and hinder development. She cheers for ethno-nationalism and divisions. China, he said, is expanding its presence through loans and so-called investments, which he described as “debt diplomacy.”
“The issue of dependence on Russian energy is not only a problem of the Balkans, but also of a considerable part of Europe. The Balkans have another problem, which is its dependence on coal-fired energy. We have an energy security strategy that includes renewable energy, liquefied natural gas and alternative energy supply routesMr Escobar said: “Promoting transparent governance, human rights and the international legal order is at the heart of our commitment to these destabilizing actions” of Russia and China.
Speaking about Bosnia and Herzegovina, Mr. Escobar said that the main problem is not ethno-nationalism, but corruption and that Bosnia is the third most corrupt country in Europe.
Earlier in the year, the United States imposed sanctions on Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik for corruption and threatening the stability and territorial integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Mr Escobar said the aim was for Serbs to return to Bosnia’s central institutions and for Dodik to be prevented from further damaging those institutions, either through political engagement or sanctions./VOA
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