The U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee’s Subcommittee on Europe will hold a congressional hearing on the Western Balkans on Tuesday, focusing on U.S. policy and regional security challenges, with a senior State Department official scheduled to testify.
The hearing, titled “U.S. Policy and Regional Security Challenges in the Western Balkans,” will feature Daniel J. Lawton, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State in the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs.
The hearing comes as Congress has shown renewed interest in developments across the Western Balkans, including issues affecting Kosovo and Albanian communities in the region, according to the advocacy organization Albanians for America.
“The hearing represents another important opportunity for developments affecting Albanians and the future of the Western Balkans to receive attention in the U.S. Congress,” the organization said.
Albanians for America said it has spent the past year strengthening communication with U.S. lawmakers and seeking to bring issues related to Kosovo, the rights of Albanians in the region, regional security and Euro-Atlantic integration into U.S. foreign-policy discussions.
Growing congressional attention to Kosovo and the region
The hearing follows a series of recent congressional engagements with Kosovo and southern Serbia.
In May, Representatives Keith Self and Suhas Subramanyam visited Kosovo and the Preševo Valley, where they met with political representatives and members of local communities.
Self has also introduced legislation aimed at assessing alleged discrimination against Albanians in Serbia’s Preševo Valley. The initiative would call on the U.S. government to evaluate the treatment of ethnic minorities in Serbia.
The congressional hearing is expected to provide an opportunity for lawmakers to question the State Department about U.S. policy toward the Western Balkans, regional security challenges and Washington’s approach to Kosovo and neighboring countries.
The hearing is scheduled for 10 a.m. Eastern Time, or 4 p.m. Central European Time.
