“The most important thing now is for Pristina to get a new government as soon as possible and for that government to do whatever it takes to continue the dialogue with Belgrade, including the abolition of tariffs on goods from Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina”, US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, Matthew Palmer said, Serbian media report.
“We hope it can be resolved soon”, Palmer added in an interview for Voice of America.
Talking about the continuation of the Belgrade-Pristina talks, he said no one would be forced to do something he cannot do, but that the US would like the talks “to take place in good faith and go towards an agreement that leads to mutual recognition of Serbia and Kosovo and that opens the path towards Europe”.
Palmer also said “the United States will not dictate the scope of the negotiations” and expressed hope that “Belgrade and Pristina will be able to find their way back to the negotiating table and then find a mutually acceptable solution that will result in the full normalization of relations”.
“The agreement that would be reached must be comprehensive, it must have a political, security, economic, trade, cultural component, part related to the protection of the assets of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Kosovo. So, I think that focusing solely on maps and territory is far from what comprehensive normalization should entail. What is normalization – can only be defined by the negotiators, and that requires a return to the table”, Palmer noted.
