The US Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources, Richard R. Verma, said that he hopes that the process of normalizing relations between Kosovo and Serbia will end with mutual recognition.

Verma, in an interview for KTV, reiterated his support for the Brussels dialogue, which he said is important for the parties to fulfill the commitments they made years ago.

“I think we all hope for a degree of normalization that would lead to mutual recognition. But, in order to reach that point, several steps must be taken, and I believe this and I think that the dialogue process, which is mediated by the EU, will lead to that point, if it is implemented properly”, he said.

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

The agreement of 11 articles, among other things, foresees a level of self-management for the Serbian community in Kosovo, mutual recognition of state symbols, so that Serbia does not block Kosovo’s membership in international organizations, and asks Pristina and Belgrade to also implement all previous agreements reached during the dialogue.

However, this agreement, according to the EU, has not been implemented by the parties.