James O’Brien, the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Europe and Asia, stated in an RTS interview on Monday (October 21) that the U.S. wants Serbia and Kosovo to move towards Europe.
In the RTS interview, he emphasized the importance of respecting all agreements and their provisions reached during the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, but mentioned that he does not know when the Association of Serb-majority Municipalities (ASM) in Kosovo will be formed.
He also pointed out that the goal is to discuss practical matters—such as speeding up the flow of goods and opening all border crossings.
“The opening of the crossing has been successful. The current congestion at the borders is a result of high traffic flow, which is good. These jams should be resolved over time by redirecting traffic to other crossings,” O’Brien told RTS.
On October 7, the Kosovo government replaced the decision to ban imports of goods from Serbia with increased control at the Merdare crossing.
The decision to ban the import of goods from Serbia was made by the Kosovo government in mid-July 2023 for “security” reasons, after three Kosovo police officers were arrested by Serbian police.
Although the Kosovo police officers were released, the decision to ban Serbian goods remained.
James O’Brien also stated that there are consequences for Kosovo due to actions that were not coordinated with the U.S.
“The biggest consequence is that European countries did not vote for their joining their institutions (Council of Europe). Kosovo lags behind other Balkan countries. All this is happening because Pristina is taking uncoordinated actions,” stated O’Brien.
Speaking about European integration, he said that the U.S. wants all countries from the Western Balkans to move towards the European Union.
“Serbia is the largest economy and the region cannot progress if Serbia is not integrated. Old conflicts can only keep Serbia on that path,” O’Brien added.
Previously, on October 20, he met with the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, and said that they discussed cooperation in the field of security.
