U.S. Ambassador: Normalization of Relations, Not Recognition of Kosovo, Prerequisite for Serbia’s EU Membership

U. S. Ambassador to Serbia Christopher Hill (BETAPHOTO/MILOS MISKOV)

United States Ambassador in Belgrade Christopher Hill has expressed his conviction that the formal recognition of Kosovo’s independence will not be a prerequisite for Serbia’s entry into the European Union, but rather only the normalization of relations between Belgrade and Pristina.

In an interview for the June 13 edition of the NIN weekly, Hill stated the U.S. “has made it very clear” that it would like Serbia to join the sanctions against Russia, but added that Serbia “has also taken some important steps to let Russia know it disagrees with the aggression that country has committed against its neighbor.”

“We have a very good dialogue with Serbia. And yes, Serbia has taken some very concrete steps to let Russia know that what it did in Ukraine is not sustainable. And that sooner or later Russia will have to reach a peace agreement and retreat from Ukraine. So I think we have a good understanding with Serbia,” the ambassador said.

With regards to the Pan-Serbian Assembly held in Belgrade on June 8, Hill said that “everyone needs to understand that the Dayton Agreement is the foundation of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s territorial integrity and of the territorial integrity of the entities within Bosnia, and that those elements of [the Dayton Agreement] must be respected by all sides.”

Hill further expressed his hope that the clash between a group of armed Serbs and Kosovo police which took place in the village of Banjska in September 2023 “will reach the courts.” “Some responsibility for what happened” needs to be assigned, he said, adding that the event “certainly didn’t help Serbian interests or U.S.-Serbian relations.”