US expert on the Balkans Daniel Serwer has commented on the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) once again listing the Balkans as a stability problem.
Serwer spoke for the N1 broadcaster in Bosnia-Herzegovina, after the US NGO published its "Preventive Priorities Survey 2017."
Serwer said that he did not think the document should make people in the Balkans "more afraid than they already are."
Kosovo’s Prime Minister, Isa Mustafa, met today in Pristina with the US expert on the Balkans, Daniel Serwer. Mustafa and Serwer discussed the current developments in Kosovo and the region. Mustafa said Kosovo has achieved progress in economic development, European integration and in strengthening the rule of law. “The government of Kosovo remains focused on advancing the European agenda, visa liberalization and transforming the Kosovo Security Forces into Armed Forces,” Mustafa was quoted as saying.
Several media have picked up an opinion piece written by Daniel Serwer, US expert on the Balkans, following an article published in The New York Times about radicalization in Kosovo. Below is the full text of Serwer’s piece.
Yesterday’s front-page New York Times piece on radicalization in Kosovo is every diplomat’s nightmare: a well-written, prominent story with solid facts that contradict what his or her government wants the Americans to believe. But there is another two-thirds of the story that got short shrift:
The U.S. expert on Balkans, Daniel Serwer, said that the Balkan region is unsteady and the unsteadiest parts of the region, are FYROM and Bosnia and Herzegovina. According to him, Serbia’s concern for Serbs in Kosovo is legitimate.
The US Balkans expert Daniel Serwer said in an interview for Radio Free Europe that Serbia will not be able to gain European Union membership without resolving all major issues, including recognition of Kosovo and exchange of ambassadors. “If it doesn’t do this, I don’t see how Serbia could become an EU member,” he said. Speaking about recent Serbian elections, Serwer said the current Prime Minister of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic won major support because of his pro-European politics.
US Balkans expert Daniel Serwer said in an interview for the Skopje-based news agency INA that dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia for normalization of relations has been successful and has produced concrete results. “This is a short step towards diplomatic recognition which I hope to see as soon as possible,” said Serwer. He added that Serbia’s recognition of Kosovo is one of the issues that would have to be resolved during the normalization of relations process including the increase of police cooperation and Kosovo’s membership in the United Nations.
Daniel Serwer, former U.S. diplomat and expert for Balkan issues, analyzed in an interview for Gazeta Express, the recent developments in Kosovo and the blockade of the Parliament by opposition parties. He stressed that with its behavior, opposition is risking to face harsh state measures and lose support in polls. Serwer said that without winning the elections, the opposition cannot make decisions for Kosovo. He however adds that if opposition had the power, they would not request breach of Brussels agreements.