US official Escobar underlines dialogue commitment ahead of Pristina visit

The US State Department’s Special Representative to the Western Balkans, Gabriel Escobar, stated that the US is committed to continuing dialogue on normalisation of Kosovo-Serbia relations ahead of his visit to Pristina.

Escobar urged Belgrade and Pristina to respect the agreements reached in Brussels and to implement them in good faith while avoiding provocation. “This is also the reason for my trip to Kosovo,” Escobar said, adding that he is travelling to Kosovo tomorrow.

“The partnership between the US and the people of Kosovo does not depend on one person or party, but we have a communication problem with Kurti. We had a very, very close partnership with Kosovo in the past. We would very much like to see that relationship return to what it was before,” Escobar stated.

Referring to the statement by the US ambassador to Pristina, Jeffrey Hovenier, that it is currently difficult for the US to advocate for Pristina on the international stage, Escobar explained: “The path to the EU and NATO goes through five countries that have not recognised Kosovo. These countries would like to see progress on all issues covered by the EU-led dialogue. By ignoring the dialogue, Kosovo is disregarding European partners, and it is challenging to persuade them to progress in Kosovo’s further integration.”

Escobar also mentioned that the US is committed to continuing the dialogue, stressing that there is no alternative.

The envoy added that he had been in Brussels since Sunday, where he held talks with representatives of the EU, NATO, and the EU’s special representative for the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue, Miroslav Lajcak.

(Jelena Nikolić | Euractiv.rs)