In an interview to KoSSev news portal, U.S. Ambassador in Pristina, Philip Kosnettt said that he thought that 2019 “must be the year of a comprehensive agreement”. “If the relationship between Serbia and Kosovo does not improve, it will become even worse. There is really no option to retain the status quo”.

Ambassador Kosnett emphasized his country wants to see a “creative, comprehensive agreement between the two countries”, which must take into account the care and security of Serbs in Kosovo and that it cannot be ignored.

“I did not say the two presidents, because these are democracies and more than two people are needed” he noted, and pointed out that the “U.S. does not give a blank check”, which means that “the United States will not support everything that these governments agree on”.

At the same time, the U.S. does not have the desired outcome and is not trying to say what the agreement between Kosovo and Serbia should look like and points out that the stance of U.S. does not differ much from the European one.

Ambassador Kosnett said his government thinks that a positive step would be if the Kosovo government would suspend now the customs tariffs, as a means of creating a momentum in order for the dialogue process to progress.

“Frankly, I think that the government in Pristina and the government in Belgrade have taken some steps in the past to show how tough they are and have the advantage they can use against the other side”.

“But what I am more interested in now is to see what steps the two sides can take to show how committed they are to the process of dialogue and progress”.

Ambassador Kosnett also said that the US Government was primarily deeply committed to helping their friends in Kosovo and Serbia to find a lasting, sustainable, mutually beneficial agreement that would benefit both countries and would strengthen their ties with the West and USA.

“This is one of the reasons for optimism. I have not seen the United States showing this commitment, this level of energy and prestige on this issue. I must say that the Trump administration is watching what we call the frozen conflicts around the world and says: “We have to shake things up. Now we need to make progress”. So, I think President Trump’s commitment is well accepted both in Serbia and Kosovo,” Ambassador Kosnett said.

“So, when you ask me what reason for optimism I perceive, I think that there is now strong support for progress in the international community. I think that 2019 must be the year of a comprehensive agreement. If the relationship between Serbia and Kosovo does not improve, it will become even worse. There is really no option to retain the status quo. It is clear to me that an increasing number of voices from Kosovo side are participating in this process. Though the creation of a state delegation, we have seen much wider representation in the process, including a part of the political opposition. And my government firmly believes that this is a moment for national unity. This is the moment when all political parties should participate in the process. The voice of all communities, including the voices of Serbian citizens of Kosovo, must be heard. This is not the time to sit aside and criticize. This is the time for them to get involved. It’s a slow, complicated process, but I think it’s important that, as the negotiations continue with Belgrade, everyone in Kosovo and Serbia understands that the negotiators speak in one voice. And I think that in 2019 we will see a comprehensive agreement,” Ambassador Kosnett underlined.