New US Ambassador in Pristina Philip Kosnett said that the announced formation of Kosovo army was a "a positive step."

Kosnett told RTK broadcaster in an interview late on Thursday that "Kosovo's leaders have talked about how the Kosovo Armed Forces could participate in peace-keeping operations overseas." And according to him, they also said that "Kosovo has reached the point where instead of only being a consumer of international security that it can contribute to it."

Kosnett said that "this is all welcome," and added that it was "a process that will take many years."

US Ambassador in Pristina noted that one of the most important things he would focus on during his mandate would be "supporting the efforts of leaders in Kosovo and in Serbia to find a way forward on the dialogue, to achieve a mutually beneficial solution that will help both governments’ prosperity and security in the future."

Media quoted Kosnett as saying during the interview that he "thinks some people have misunderstood that the United States encourages the change of borders or the exchange of territories."

"As superiors in Washington have tried to make it clear: what we are interested in is an agreement that is negotiated in good faith by the two sides," Kosnett said.

"When we speak of the dialogue in Washington, we're talking about a comprehensive discussion on all the issues that have separated for many years the two countries. What we need to see is a process which ends with an agreement that will benefit both countries," Kosnett said, reports Serbian media.