U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is scheduled to meet today with Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Đurić, the U.S. Department of State announced.
The meeting is set to take place at the Department of State at 11:15 a.m. EST (5:15 p.m. local time in Kosovo). The specific topics for discussion have not been disclosed. The meeting will also be attended by Brendan Hanrahan, a senior official from the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs, and Undersecretary Allison Hooker.
Context and Recent Tensions
Hanrahan visited several Western Balkan countries, including Kosovo and Serbia, in July. During his visit to Belgrade, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić said he discussed the need for economic cooperation and dialogue with the U.S. official. This meeting with Đurić comes just one day before new U.S. trade tariffs, announced by President Donald Trump, are set to take effect. The new policy will hit Serbia with a 35% tariff.
In Kosovo, Hanrahan met with acting Prime Minister Albin Kurti and other party leaders, with discussions centering on the political crisis and the rights of the Serb community. Serbia has consistently accused Kosovo of violating the rights of the Serb minority, criticizing the actions of Kosovar institutions in the Serb-majority north. The U.S. and the European Union have also criticized Kosovo’s uncoordinated actions, such as the closure of Serbian institutions that began last year.
The visit of Đurić to Washington also takes place as Serbia has warned that EU-facilitated dialogue with Kosovo for the normalization of relations cannot continue following the arrest of a Serbian official in July.
The Case of Igor Popović
The Serbian official in question, Igor Popović, an assistant to the director of Serbia’s Office for Kosovo, was detained on July 18 and remains in custody. He has been indicted by Kosovo on charges of “inciting discord and intolerance” after calling the Kosovo Liberation Army (UÇK) a “terrorist organization” during a speech.
Serbia has demanded Popović’s immediate release and has raised the issue of his arrest in meetings with ambassadors accredited in Serbia, as well as with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
