USA: Kosovo is jeopardizing the opportunities we helped create

2024-08-08 08:41:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

USA: Kosovo is jeopardizing the opportunities we helped create

US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller. Photo from the archive.

The United States said that with continued uncoordinated decisions, Kosovo is jeopardizing the opportunities that Washington has helped create.

The spokesperson of the US Department of State, Matthew Miller, during a press conference, reiterated that the US is concerned with the recent decisions of Kosovo, when asked if there should be consequences for the authorities in Kosovo after the closure of several facilities of the Post Office Serbia in the north of the country a few days ago.

"We believe that they put at risk the opportunities that we have helped Kosovo to create. If you look at it since Kosovo's independence, the US has strongly supported their full integration into the international community as a sovereign, multi-ethnic democracy, but to realize this vision that we share, we have cooperated with successive leaders of Kosovo in the masses to strengthen peace and prosperity in the country, advancing Kosovo on the Euro-Atlantic path," Miller said on August 7.

Miller said that is why they encourage the Government of Kosovo to return to "close and constructive engagement" with them, the European Union, NATO and other international partners.

The spokesperson of DASH said that they have expressed these positions privately to the Government of Kosovo, as he also emphasized that he does not want to speculate on future actions.

On August 5, the authorities in Kosovo closed nine facilities of the Post of Serbia in the north of Kosovo - inhabited by a majority of Serbs - a decision that was criticized by the US and the EU. The decision has also been criticized by the authorities in Serbia.

But the authorities in Kosovo have said that the closed facilities did not have a license to work.

The US Embassy in Pristina responded the same day, saying that Kosovo's uncoordinated actions "place Kosovo citizens and KFOR soldiers at great risk, fuel unnecessary escalation of regional tensions, and undermine Kosovo's reputation as a reliable partner." international".

The USA has called on the Government of Kosovo, led by Albin Kurti, to end unilateral actions and return to constructive engagement in the dialogue for the normalization of relations with Serbia, which is mediated by the EU.

The USA, but also the EU and the states are also opposing the opening of the bridge over the river Ibër, which the Government of Kosovo intends to open for traffic.

Some Serbs protested in North Mitrovica on Wednesday to oppose the opening of the bridge over the Ibar, which separates the Albanian-populated South Mitrovica from the Serb-majority North.

Kurti's government announced in mid-July that it intends to open the main bridge over the Ibër River in Mitrovica.

However, the QUINT countries – the US, UK, Germany, France and Italy – declared on August 2 that they do not support the opening of the bridge at this time.

The peacekeeping mission of NATO in Kosovo, KFOR, declared that any decision on the opening of the main bridge over the Iber River should be taken within the framework of the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia.

This mission has reiterated that it will not hesitate to take "all the necessary measures" to combat developments that may threaten regional security and stability.

Italian soldiers as part of the KFOR mission are on the bridge over the Ibër river, while members of the Kosovo Police are also nearby.

In the post-war period, the bridge over the Iber River was a symbol of the riots and barricades erected by Kosovo Serbs to oppose Kosovo's efforts to establish authority in the north.

The bridge is currently only open for pedestrians, although in the framework of the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia, it has been agreed that it should also be opened for vehicle traffic./REL