The European Union and the United States have agreed to strengthen their joint engagement in the Western Balkans and support the region’s path to the EU.
“This region belongs in the European Union. Closer integration will enhance stability and contribute to prosperity for the people of the region. In this context, we stress that accession negotiations with Albania and North Macedonia should start without delay.”, read a joint statement released after the meeting between US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and High Representative of the European Union on Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell.
They also stressed the importance of the EU-mediate dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia.
The EU and the US reiterated that they support Kosovo’s efforts in the fight against organized crime and encourage relevant parties to engage in lowering Kosovo-Serbia tensions.
“We welcome and support Kosovo’s engagement to fight corruption and organized crime, and we reiterate that violence against civilians, journalists, police, or other authorities is unacceptable”, the joint statement read.
The declaration comes a few days after EU’s diplomacy chief Josep Borrell dubbed Kosovo’s actions in the north as “unilateral”.
The declaration was published one day after the European Union approved the enlargement package which includes annual reports on all EU-aspiring countries in the region.
