Chollet’s visit – the dialogue, the European plan and the relations between Kosovo and Serbia were discussed

U.S. State Department senior adviser Derek Chollet said that “Kosovo must fulfill all its obligations under the dialogue, including the formation of the Association of Serb-majority municipalities,” and that the “Kosovo government” was expected to “put some proposals on the table.

He said this Dec. 11 while speaking to journalists in Pristina.

“We believe that the association is an urgent issue, it is an urgent issue on the agenda of the dialogue, it has become even more important after the recent events in the north,” Chollet said.

He added that the U.S. does not support anything resembling Republika Srpska.

“We are not asking Kosovo to support an agreement that is not in line with the constitution and the 2015 Constitutional Court decision.”

“We believe that we are at a critical moment. We believe that Kosovo and Serbia should urgently enter into the dialogue led by the European Union, which is working toward a comprehensive agreement to normalize relations, focusing on mutual recognition,” he said.

Within the framework of the dialogue, Kosovo and Serbia have reached two agreements on the formation of the Association of municipalities with Serbian majority. But Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti has stated that he is against a single ethnic association.

In addition to U.S. diplomats, European ones have urged Kosovo to implement the association agreements reached in Brussels.

The U.S. envoy to the Western Balkans, Gabriel Escobar, had earlier stated that if the Kosovo government does not establish the association, “alternative partners” will be found for it.

Escobar was present at the meeting with journalists on January 11, and when asked about alternative partners, he mentioned civil society, multiethnic groups, and institutes that he said could help develop ideas for establishing the association without compromising laws and Kosovo’s constitution.

Meanwhile, Chollet said that the U.S. believes that dialogue is the best tool for Kosovo to secure its full European and Euro-Atlantic future.

Chollet also said that their message to Pristina and Belgrade is to avoid provocative actions and work toward de-escalating the situation.

He added that the U.S. wants to devote its diplomatic energy to working toward Kosovo’s Euro-Atlantic future and that Washington wants to devote less energy to crisis management.

Asked about the next meeting in the framework of the dialogue between Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti and Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, he did not give a date, but said that this meeting should take place “as soon as possible.”

Chollet said what he heard during the meetings in Pristina was “a strong desire on the part of the government of Kosovo to participate meaningfully in these talks,” adding that the United States will do everything it can to contribute to their assistance.

He would not discuss deadlines for reaching the final agreement between Kosovo and Serbia.

The U.S. official added that U.S. relations with Kosovo “remain very strong” and that its vision for the country is “a multi-ethnic, independent, sovereign, secure and democratic Kosovo,” adding that it is in favor of the country’s full integration European and Euro-Atlantic structures.”

“Just like the U.S., Kosovo is a diverse, multi-ethnic society and we believe that diversity makes our countries stronger. We believe that the Kosovo government should celebrate this diversity and implement policies that help all Kosovars succeed, regardless of ethnicity.”

Chollet said it should be celebrated for all that Kosovo has achieved over the years, but added that “many challenges will come.”

“We don’t want to see all that has been achieved wasted and we don’t want to see this great potential, which I believe is real, go unused,” he said.

Before meeting with journalists, Chollet met with institutional leaders and opposition political parties in Kosovo.

The European plan, topic of the Chollet-Kurti meeting.

The dialogue process, the European Plan and relations between Kosovo and Serbia were among the topics of discussion between Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti and Chollet.

This was stated in the press release issued by the Prime Minister’s Office on January 11.

“The need for active and constructive engagement in dialogue and intensification of efforts to achieve full normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia with mutual recognition at the center was stressed,” the announcement said.

Osmani: U.S.’s increased engagement, crucial for dialogue with Serbia

Before Kurti, Chollet, who began his visit to Kosovo on Jan. 11, met President Vjosa Osmani.

At the meeting, President Osmani said, according to a press release, that increased U.S. engagement in the dialogue with Serbia “is critical to ensuring a successful outcome for the benefit of Kosovo’s citizens.”

She reiterated the position that a final agreement with Serbia should be based on mutual recognition.

“Kosovo is ready to continue to be a constructive party with full commitment, coordinated with the U.S., to make proposals that will contribute to the achievement of such an agreement,” Osmani said.

Chollet and Osmani also spoke about developments in the region and the world, according to the Kosovo presidency, and she said that with Russia’s support, “Serbia continues to be a destabilizing force and a threat to lasting peace in the region.”

The American official also met the representatives of the Serbian list. On the social network Facebook, the vice president of this party, Dalibor Jevtic, said that during the meeting the current political and security situation was discussed.

This visit of the senior American official comes at the time of new international efforts to accelerate the process of normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia.

The DASH advisor was also accompanied in the meeting with Osmani and Kurti by the U.S. envoy for the Western Balkans, Gabriel Escobar.

Earlier on January 11, Chollet was also in Skopje, Northern Macedonia.

Chollet’s visit to Kosovo comes a few weeks after the tense situation in northern Kosovo culminated in the erection of barricades by groups of local Serbs in the north of the state following the arrest of a former Serb policeman.

After Kosovo, the senior U.S. official will stay in Serbia on Jan. 12.

Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic said a day before Chollet’s visit to Belgrade that the U.S. promise that the formation of the Union of Serb-majority municipalities would begin in January is expected to be “on the table” negotiations.

The Prime Minister of Serbia, Ana Brnabic, one day before Chollet’s visit to Belgrade, said that the US promise that the formation of the Association of Serbian-majority municipalities will start in January, is expected to be “on the negotiations table”.

“That would be very good, that would be the implementation of the Brussels agreement,” she said for Serbian Pink television.

Kosovo and Serbia have been in an EU-mediated dialogue since 2011. The process is expected to end with a legally binding agreement.

Prishtina demands that the agreement include mutual recognition, while Belgrade insists on a compromise solution, without saying exactly what kind of compromise it is.

Serbian chief diplomat Ivica Dacic has said Serbia has three red lines regarding Kosovo: implementing all agreements reached, not recognizing Kosovo’s independence, and ensuring the security of Serbs living in Kosovo./REL/