US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called on Kosovo and Serbia to implement all agreements reached in the EU-facilitated dialogue.
He said that the dialogue process in Brussels, supported by the United States, is the only mechanism for Kosovo and Serbia to normalize relations.
During a press conference in Vienna, alongside his Austrian counterpart Alexander Schallenberg, the US diplomat said that people in the Western Balkans region do not need to regress but to move forward and integrate into the European Union.
“We are also working together [with Austria] to improve relations between Kosovo and Serbia. The EU-facilitated dialogue is the only implementable mechanism, the only way forward. We need to see efforts in trust-building and constructive efforts from both parties, from Kosovo and Serbia, to stabilize their relations and move towards this path. They should keep tensions low, increase coordination, enhance transparency with international partners, and implement all dialogue commitments,” said Blinken.
The US and the European Union consistently urge Kosovo and Serbia to engage in the Brussels dialogue and implement all agreements reached so far.
Last year, the parties reached the Agreement on the Roadmap to Normalization of Relations. This agreement provides for a level of self-governance for the Serbian community in Kosovo and mutual recognition of state symbols, while also requiring Pristina and Belgrade to implement all previous agreements reached during the dialogue.
The EU has stated that the parties have not yet begun to implement the agreement.
The international community insists that the dialogue is a platform to resolve all outstanding issues between Kosovo and Serbia, as tensions between parties have been high.
Tensions have been heightened since May of last year, when Serbs opposed the newly elected Albanian mayors in four municipalities in northern Kosovo, inhabited by a Serbian majority. Tensions escalated further after on September 24, a group of armed Serbs attacked the Kosovo police in Banjska of Zveçan, killing a police officer.
Kosovo has blamed Serbia for the attack in Banjska, but Belgrade has denied involvement. Responsibility for the attack was claimed by Milan Radoičić, former deputy leader of the Serb List, the largest party of Serbs in Kosovo enjoying the support of Belgrade.
