TIRANA, Dec. 19 – US President Donald Trump called for Kosovo and Serbia to use the right time frame to reach a compromising agreement between them through a letter dated Dec. 14.
In his letter to Kosovo President Hashim Thaci, Trump mentions the Paris meeting that commemorated the 100-year-anniversary of the end of WWI.
“Kosovo is a decisive partner in our efforts to guarantee peace and stability for the whole of Europe.I welcome your current efforts to reconcile with Serbia.Failure to take advantage of this unique opportunity would be a tragic step back because the opportunity for an all-inclusive peace agreement will not come again for a long time,” Trump’s letter read.
Distributed by Thaci’s press office, the letter further said that Kosovo leaders should take advantage of this unique opportunity and speak unanimously during negotiations, while also limiting behavior that could make reaching peace more difficult.
Trump highlighted the US has invested a lot on Kosovo’s independence and sovereignty and that it desires to see the relatively young country evolve.
“We are ready to help you in your efforts to reach an agreement that reflects in a balanced way the interests of Kosovo and Serbia. Such an agreement is achievable. I expect the White House to welcome you and President Aleksandar Vucic to celebrate what will be a historic deal,” Trump writes.
Serbia is still to recognize Kosovo’s independence, announced on Feb. 17, 2008, under the support of the US and other major European countries.
However, over the last seven years, both countries have been involved in an EU-mediated process seeking to normalize relations as an EU-membership condition.
However, normalization talks stalled again in the face of a new crisis that took over after Kosovo’s decision to set a 100 percent fee on all Serbian imports as a response to the allegedly aggressive campaign of Serbia against Kosovo’s statehood.
