James O'Brein: Kosovo and Serbia must move forward for the sake of their European future

2025-01-12 21:30:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

James O'Brein: Kosovo and Serbia must move forward for the sake of their

The US Assistant Secretary of State for Europe and Eurasia, James O'Brien, has called on Kosovo and Serbia to normalize their neighborly relations for the sake of their goals for European integration.

In an interview with the Serbian tabloid, Kurir, published on Sunday, O'Brien said both countries need to do this.

"I think Kosovo and Serbia need to understand that there are normal European paths to this issue. I think that now, with a more active European Union in the region, both countries understand that there are things that each of them needs to do that will make it easier to resolve the issues," O'Brien said.

But, he added, they should go ahead and do these things "for the sake of their European path, not because of some special negotiations".

Kosovo and Serbia have been holding dialogue for the normalization of relations since 2011, while in 2023 they reached the Agreement on the path to the normalization of relations and the Annex for its implementation.

However, they have not yet started implementing this agreement, according to the EU. The dialogue between them, mediated by the EU, is also supported by the United States.

O'Brien was also asked whether Kosovo Serbs can live under the leadership of Prime Minister Albin Kurti, after a series of steps his Government took in 2024 to close parallel Serbian institutions in the Serb-majority north and to extend authority there.

"I think so," he replied, adding that "practically every European country has had to deal with such an issue - a community that feels connected to a neighboring country because of national, religious or historical ties."

Likewise, Kosovo has banned the use of the Serbian dinar, which has made it difficult to pay salaries for members of the Serbian community who receive salaries from the Serbian budget.

The Government of Kosovo has said that it has taken these steps to extend sovereignty, but it has been criticized by the international community, which demands that these issues be resolved in the Brussels dialogue, in order to avoid increasing tensions on the ground.

On the other hand, Serbia refuses to close its institutions in the territory of Kosovo and has moved most of them near the border points on the Serbian side.

Kosovo is also required to establish an Association of municipalities with a Serbian majority, but it has expressed its shyness that such a mono-ethnic association could affect the functioning of the state.

O'Brien also called for the Serbs in Kosovo, especially in the north, to be given space to speak their own words, without being influenced or forced by others.

"We want to see that the voice of the Serbs, especially in the north, but also in all of Kosovo, is heard, not that they are forced to speak in one way or another as it suits the people in any capital. They should have the same rights as any other citizen in a democratic country," said O'Brien.

He said that the special envoy of the European Union for the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, Miroslav Lajçak, and his team, have done "successful work thanks to which there is a solution for the life of the Serbs in Kosovo with respect for them as a community, in so that they can live normally, like, for example, the Germans in Italy or the Dutch in Belgium". /REL