U.S. Assistant Secretary of State James O’Brien discussed the implementation of the Kosovo-Serbia Agreements and the establishment of the Association during an interview in Belgrade. He stated that the obligation has existed since 2015 but emphasized that he cannot provide a timeline. He mentioned that the draft statute needs to be submitted to the Constitutional Court and highlighted the importance of making progress even before the association is established.
“This obligation has existed since 2015, when these commitments were first signed. We continue to work on this. I cannot promise any deadlines, but the most important thing is that the Serbs living in Kosovo have the opportunity to live as normal European citizens,” he stressed.
When asked about progress in the dialogue, O’Brien noted that there are also direct contacts to push the process forward.
“We have met with Mr. Petković, and last night we discussed several topics related to the dialogue. I want to mention something President Vučić spoke to us about, which is the formal part of the dialogue and how to move forward with direct contacts. The U.S. is not a space where the dialogue takes place, but we are very active in ensuring progress on the ground. I want to give you an example: we have seen NATO reinforce and increase its activities in the North, which serves to protect citizens of all nationalities. This happens outside of the formal dialogue, but it is very important to create conditions for progress,” he stated.
