SKOPJE/PRISTINA/BELGRADE — I am not here to issue an ultimatum, but to support dialogue with our EU partners, State Department Advisor Derek Chollet said at the press conference in Belgrade. Chollet concluded his Western Balkans tour with a visit to Serbia, where he met with President Aleksandar Vučić, Prime Minister Ana Brnabić, Foreign Minister Ivica Dačić, journalists and representatives of civil society.
Chollet said the United States views Serbia as a “constructive and pragmatic partner” and he spoke to Serbian officials about Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, energy, security and the economy. He reaffirmed American support for all efforts to maintain peace and stability and added that the United States advocates focusing on the Franco-German proposal in the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, as well as the creation of a association of municipalities with a Serbian majority. (ASM).
“We believe that the creation of the ASM is in accordance with the constitution of Kosovo and not contradictory. The creation of the ASM is a key issue that must be resolved. We discussed this yesterday in Pristina and our position is that this must be implemented in accordance with the constitution of Kosovo,” explained Chollet. RTS reported.
The United States wishes to continue its cooperation with Serbia to strengthen security, democracy and the rule of law and strongly supports the path of European integration and economic development of the region, as Chollet said during his visit to Belgrade. He also highlighted the importance of energy diversification and efficiency, which is another important area of cooperation.
“President Vučić and Advisor Chollet also discussed energy security, regional connection initiatives and strengthening cooperation between the Western Balkan countries, as well as the untapped potential in the development of bilateral and economic cooperation between the Serbia and the United States. The interlocutors said that intensifying comprehensive bilateral relations is a common strategic interest of the two countries and that the efforts of the two sides should be further improved towards an even faster and more comprehensive strengthening of cooperation in many areas. “, we said in the press release. announcement from the president’s office.
Asked about the war in Ukraine and Serbia’s foreign policy, Chollet said the introduction of sanctions against Russia was expected from all countries, but stressed that Serbia had taken several important steps to UN to denounce Russian aggression, as RTS reported. However, he also expressed concern over attempts to recruit soldiers in Serbia by the Russian paramilitary group Wagner.
“We will cooperate with the authorities here in Belgrade and elsewhere where Wagner is active in order to put an end to their activities,” Chollet was quoted as saying. Voice of America.
Support for reforms, peace and stability in the region
The first stop on the American diplomat’s tour was Skopje, where Chollet met Prime Minister Dimitar Kovačevski and several ministers. Chollet thanked North Macedonia for its “continued commitment to Euro-Atlantic integration” and touched on topics including energy, cybersecurity, the economy, the country’s OSCE chairmanship and the fight against corruption during the meeting with North Macedonian officials.
Kovačevski said the rule of law and European integration were also on the meeting’s agenda. They spoke about North Macedonia’s progress towards the EU and its commitment to establishing “a higher rule of law, as in the EU, by 2030”, as the statement said. Beta briefing reported.
In Pristina, Chollet had meetings with Prime Minister Albin Kurti, with whom he discussed the normalization of relations with Serbia, and with President Vjosa Osmani, during which he reaffirmed the solidity of the partnership between the United States. United and Kosovo and welcomed the position of the Pristina government towards the war in Ukraine. He also met opposition leaders, civil society representatives and journalists.
The State Department advisor also took this opportunity to meet with representatives of the Serbian list political party and reaffirm the need to form the Association of Serbian Municipalities. Chollet said recent events in northern Kosovo highlighted the importance of ASM and called for the full participation of both sides in the EU-led dialogue in order to overcome the crisis and reach a lasting solution .
“It is necessary to clarify that we do not want to support an organization like Republika Srpska. We do not ask Kosovo for any commitments incompatible with the Constitution and the decision of the Constitutional Court of 2015. The Assembly of Kosovo ratified the Brussels Accords and the Constitutional Court declared the need to establish an association of municipalities with a Serbian government. majority – which, in our opinion, has become a legal obligation for the government of Kosovo,” Chollet said during a meeting with journalists in Priština, while Voice of America reported.