Foreign policy expert Edward Joseph has described as mistaken the suspension of the planned Strategic Dialogue by the United States, as well as what he called provocations by Kosovo.
Commenting on relations between the two countries, Joseph said that no government of Kosovo can afford to antagonize the United States. He reaffirmed what he stated earlier at the House Foreign Affairs Committee regarding Prime Minister Kurti.
“No government of Kosovo can afford to be at odds with the United States of America,” said Edward Joseph on Thursday, a lecturer at Johns Hopkins University in the U.S.
Joseph, who took part in Tuesday’s discussion at the House Foreign Affairs Committee, reconfirmed his earlier claim that Prime Minister Kurti is viewed as an obstacle by State Department bureaucrats.
He said that the most recent evidence was the suspension of the planned Strategic Dialogue, adding that he considers the U.S. decision to suspend it a mistake.
“First, allow me to say that it was an honor to be invited to testify yesterday before this House subcommittee for the foreign affairs hearing. It is a very important hearing, and we could see that there was significant interest in the Balkans by both Republicans and Democrats on the committee.
Second, I want to say that Kosovo will hold elections later this month and I do not want to interfere in those elections with my comments.
Third, to answer your question — because it was a direct question from the subcommittee chairman, Keith Self of Texas — and it is fair for you to ask about this. The answer was clear. How could anyone respond ‘no’ to the question of whether the State Department sees Prime Minister Kurti as an obstacle? The answer is certainly ‘yes’, simply because we know the evidence. The latest evidence was the suspension of the Strategic Dialogue between the United States and Kosovo, which happened in September.
We know this from previous comments and criticisms, and of course from the measures or sanctions that the United States and the European Union have imposed on Kosovo. What I said — and I want to emphasize this again — is not interference in Kosovo’s internal politics. My interest is to advance stability and prosperity in the region, to advance U.S. interests, and I made it very clear that it is a mistake to suspend the strategic dialogue with Kosovo while, at the same time, advancing the strategic dialogue with Serbia, especially when we see ongoing incidents. I even mentioned the alleged kidnapping of a Kosovo Serb citizen in northern Kosovo,” he said.
