Palmer: Kosovo needs a government, we don't take sides

Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Europe and Eurasia Matthew Palmer, formerly US Special Envoy for the Western Balkans, said Wednesday that the United States hopes Kosovo and Serbia will return to talks on normalising relations between them. During a debate on the United States Strategic Action in the Western Balkans, the Aegean and Turkey during the coronavirus pandemic, organised by the German Marshall Fund, he said normalisation of relations is essential to pave the European path for both countries.

But, he said, there is still much work to be done. Kosovo needs a government. We are waiting for the Constitutional Court's decision that would pave the way for resolving issues involving forming the government. I want to underline that the United States does not want to influence the process in any way, we do not want to elect Kosovo's new government, we have no favourite, we do not take sides. What we want to see is a process that is based on the Constitution of Kosovo and the legal framework of Kosovo, which produces a government that is representative and has the power to engage in the process of talks”, he said.

Palmer did not want to talk about the deadlines and the possible connection of the issue with the US presidential election, but stressed that “we are trying to help the parties find a solution”. The relaxed talks by the European Union have been suspended since November 2018, due to tariffs imposed by Kosovo on Serbian goods. Already these tariffs have been removed and replaced with measures of reciprocity on the part of the Kosovo government, a step that is not supported by the United States.

Early in March, Corporation “Millennium challenges” suspended programmes for Kosovo, while stressing that their resumption will depend on the Kosovo government's stance on tariffs to Serbian goods. “As I know the Millennium Challenge Corporation is awaiting demonstrations from Kosovo authorities who are interested in pursuing a broader economic opening that provides better opportunities for economic development and jobs. What we want to see is not only suspension of tariffs but also lifting reciprocal measures. I hope we will see progress on these issues and the Corporation will be back with its” programmes, said Mr. Plummer.

The United States allocated $20m for the Balkans in time, talking about the situation about the COVIID-19 pandemic, Mr. Palmer praised, as he said, the collaborative spirit, separating the way Serbia and Kosovo put political differences aside and worked together to provide help beyond borders to facilitate the movement of medical personnel and humanitarian supplies, including foods”. He said the United States has invested billions of dollars to promote good governance, transparency, accountability, rule of law, and this is the foundation on which governments in the region were able to respond effectively to coronavirus.
The “just to face the crisis with COVD-19, the United States has allocated about $20m in direct assistance to Balkan countries”, he said. But, said Mr. Palmer, there are still challenges and tensions in the region, while the United States is committed to working in partnership with countries in the region and with our European partners and allies to support the development of the Western Balkans and integration into the family of European nations”. Mr. Palmer praised the historically important EU decision to open negotiations with Albania and Northern Macedonia, while stressing that the region's integration process will be a long process.

“I think we have invested time and effort to support the economic integration of Western Balkan countries, whether through existing mechanisms such as CEFTA, but also new initiatives such as the one for mini Schengen, which is regional initiative”, he said. The West in front of Russia and China in the Balkans, Mr. Palmer, said Russia and China have proved that “are shameless” in the area of deinformation, specifically Russia, which, according to him, has had some success over the years by “building tensions, distrust, building walls where people should build bridges. This was a long-term concern and I think COVID-19 pandemic has added to concerns”. However, he said it is encouraging that countries in the region are aware of this challenge and are interested in increasing opportunities to counter.

Palmer also raised the question of the quality of assistance offered by Russia and China in the region, a part of which he said, is not even an aid but a trade. “We understand the value of public diplomacy with tail flags, which access early stages of crisis and download packages. Sometimes it doesn't matter what's in those packages. It is important that the obvious demonstration of support and to create the argument that the answer from the West -- from the United States and Europe -- was not fast enough to provide”, he said, underlining that what has been offered by the United States and the European Union has offered to these countries is what leaves everything Moscow or Beijing have offered. Palmer said Beijing had no right from the start. “They were not willing to share what they know with the rest of the world about the disease, what is happening in China. They hid and refused to be transparent about the nature of this challenge and all of us are paying the price for this”. / VOA/