Kasanof calls for a more effective partnership with Kosovo

2024-10-12 09:45:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

The American envoy for the Western Balkans, Alexander Kasanof, said that the uncoordinated actions of the Government of Kosovo complicate the capacities of the USA to support Kosovo.

Kasanof, the US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, made the comments to a group of journalists in Pristina, at the end of his two-day visit, during which he met with the top leaders of the state, those of the opposition, the Serbian List and representatives of civil society. .

"In my meetings with the president and the prime minister, I reiterated our desire for a more effective partnership," Kasanof said.

"Also, I am satisfied with the resumption of the circulation of goods [from Serbia to Kosovo] and that Kosovo has managed to take its place in CEFTA and in the Berlin Process", added the senior American official.

Recently, the Government of Kosovo has often faced criticism from the US and the rest of the international community, due to some actions that they have described as unilateral - including the withdrawal from the use of the Serbian dinar and the closure of parallel Serbian structures .

Senior American officials, including the ambassador in Pristina, Jeffrey Hovenier, have said that these actions affect the quality of relations between the US and the Government of Kosovo.

Kasanof also emphasized that the United States "remains a strong supporter of the people of Kosovo and of the democratic, sovereign and multi-ethnic country".

"We continue to support Kosovo's Euro-Atlantic integration, as well as integration into European structures, especially at a time when we see so many changes in Europe. We think that this continues to be the right place for Kosovo. This is something that we want to advance and we want to work with Kosovo", said Kasanof.

According to him, the US expects Kosovo and Serbia to fulfill all the commitments they have undertaken in the dialogue for the normalization of relations, mediated by the EU, as well as with the agreements reached within it.

This, as he said, also includes sending the draft statute for the Association of Serb-majority municipalities in Kosovo for assessment to the country's Constitutional Court.

Kasanof also said that it is important for the Government of Kosovo to engage with members of minority communities.

"The elections in the USA cannot dramatically change the policy towards Kosovo"

Asked if the US presidential election, which will be held on November 5, could in any way affect the US approach to the Western Balkans in general or the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia, Kasanof said:

"U.S. foreign policy is based on our national interests, and it is unlikely that our national interests will change to such a degree that it would dramatically affect the calculation or policy when it comes to Kosovo."

He noted that his first visit to Kosovo was "mainly a listening visit" and "to learn more about the issues".

"I learned a lot and I will pass that information on when I get back to Washington," Kasanof said.

Kasanof stayed in Pristina after the visits he made this week to Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

This was his first tour in the region since he assumed the post of US envoy for the Western Balkans in July of this year./ Rel