Server, Bieber: Washington Agreement Not an Important Step Toward Normalization, Will Soon Be Forgotten by U.S.

Florian Bieber (prinstcreen: YouTube

Graz University Professor Florian Bieber and Johns Hopkins University professor Daniel Server have said that the Washington agreement signed by Belgrade and Pristina was neither an important nor big step toward the normalization of their relations and that it would soon be forgotten in the U.S.

During a debate at a webinar organized by the Social Club in Mitrovica titled, The Process of Dialog Between Belgrade and Pristina: A Triangle of Constructive Uncertainties, Server and Bieber talked about negotiations between Belgrade and Pristina in Washington and Brussels focusing on the agreements that had already been reached as well as the implications of presidential elections in the U.S. for the region, the European Western Balkans reported on Sept. 24.

Bieber said that the Washington agreement was nothing new because a number of its points had already been dealt with in the Belgrade-Pristina dialog which is being led by the EU. The agreement is not a major step toward normalizing relations between Belgrade and Pristina and regardless of who wins the upcoming U.S. election it will be forgotten, Server said.

Debating the implications of the Washington agreement for Serbia and Kosovo, Server added that despite the extremely low level of interest of the U.S. public, the agreement is mostly seen as an important tool in Donald Trumps election campaign.