PM: Donfried and Other U.S. Officials Want Mutual Recognition of Kosovo and Serbia

Ana Brnabic (BETAPHOTO/MILOS MISKOV/MO)

Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic said on April 27 that the goal of U.S. officials – including Karen Donfried, the U.S. assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs, who recently paid an official visit to Serbia – is “the mutual recognition of Kosovo and Serbia.”

“What has changed is that now they are not only listening to but also hearing our side and our arguments,” Brnabic told Pink TV and added that the U.S. is “much more explicit” than the EU in criticizing Pristina “for everything that hasn’t been done and for their insincere approach to the dialogue with Belgrade.”

Listing specific instances, Brnabic mentioned Pristina’s “failure to form the Community of Serb Municipalities” and “refusal to allow Serbs participation in the referendum and [recent general and presidential] elections.”

According to her, “however much Serbia may disagree with the U.S. on certain fundamental matters,” the U.S.’s stance on Pristina’s behavior has been quite helpful in getting Kosovo’s leadership to continue the dialogue. With regards to her April 26 meeting with Donfried, Brnabic said that most of their discussion centered on the economy and IT, and added that the following weeks would be marked with an increased presence of U.S. companies in Serbia.

As part of her tour of the region, Donfried visited Pristina and Belgrade on April 25 and 26, and will spend April 27 in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Her next stops are North Macedonia, Albania and Montenegro.