3 hours agoAssistant US Secretary of State begins tour of Balkans in Pristina
Periskopi(8 years ago)
(8 years ago)Assistant Secretary of State for European and Euro-Asian Affairs Wes Mitchell will start a tour of the Balkans tomorrow in Pristina, which will end with a visit to Nicosia, Cyprus. Tomorrow, in Pristina, Mitchell will hold meetings with top state officials, including President Thaci, Prime Minister Haradinaj, but also with representatives [...]
Tomorrow, in Pristina, Mitchell will hold meetings with top state officials, including President Thaci, Prime Minister Haradinaj, but also with other political representatives and civil society, during which he will re-focus the close ties between Kosovo and the United States.
“It will encourage the Government of Kosovo to advance in normalisation of relations with Serbia, strengthen rule of law, foster economic growth and overcome regional challenges to better Western stability and integration”, the State Department's communiqué says.
The next day, Tuesday, Assistant Secretary of State for European and Euro-Azie will go to Skopje, where he will meet with Prime Minister Zaev and Foreign Minister Dimitrov.
According to the communiqué, the senior US official will reiterate US support for Macedonia's Euro-Atlantic aspirations, provide support to Macedonia for negotiations with Greece, and will ask the Macedonian government to implement reforms to improve democratic governance, order and law and have free media.
On March 14th, in Belgrade, Wes Mitchell will meet with senior officials, including President Vuciq, Prime Minister Brnabiq, and opposition leaders.
The State Department says Mitchell will re-focus the strong relations between Serbia and the United States and will ask the Serbian Government to push forward normalising relations with Kosovo, make reforms needed to achieve the goals for membership in the European Union, and actively support regional stability.
In Athens, on March 15th, Assistant Secretary Mitchell will meet with senior Greek officials with whom he will discuss deepening US-Greece strategic ties and strengthening bilateral co-operation, including in the field of defence, energy, trade and investment.
In the end, in Nicosia on March 16th, he will meet with officials from the Republic of Cyprus to negotiate regional solutions, including the development of energy resources in the Eastern Mediterranean. He will also meet with leaders of Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, as well as with representatives of the United Nations.
