Costett shocks with the statement: To form association, history has not started with Kurt

“I think the United States really believes Kosovo has an obligation to form the Association of Serb majority municipalities. History didn't start on the day Kurt's government was formed, and we believe that countries are obliged to comply with the agreements and vows previously made... I know some people have said that we've made enough compromises, it's up to someone else to compromise. It's not a very productive way to move forward”, Costett declared Radio Contact Plus.

The American diplomat believes there will be little room for progress in dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia, if both sides are not ready for compromise.

The Biden administration carefully studied the Washington agreement signed by Vuciq and Hoti at the White House and concluded that these are things we want to see the sides continue to meet. Those points increase trade, investments, boost efforts in the fight against terrorism... We expect people not to say, well, Ahtisaari's plan means nothing anymore, because there has been a change in government”, Costnet said.

Asked if he shares US Special Envoy's optimism about the Western Balkans Matthew Palmer, who said in early June that he thinks reaching agreement this year is “ably possible”, Costett said among other things it is important to move forward, with a certain sense of urgency.

Of course, serious negotiations are necessary. Prime Minister Kurti has said much about the desire to prepare properly for negotiations. We believe it is important that people be prepared for serious talks, but also to move forward on that issue with a certain sense of urgency”, Costnet said.

If he sees room for a compromise solution between Kosovo and Serbia, given that for Serbia Kosovo is part of it, the American ambassador said time is not on both sides.

“I am not an ambassador to Serbia. I'll let others talk about it. I think Kosovo's biggest enemy is complacency. What do I mean by that? Over the past 20 years, a situation has emerged in Kosovo, where people have become very familiar with the international community that makes a lot of money in the country, helping the people of Kosovo solve their problems. Every time a crisis occurs, Quinti, KFOR or the EU are there to keep hands on people and help them at such times. It won't last forever. Kosovo has become very dependent, with some saying that up to 30% of its economy is based on revenues from the diaspora. It won't be long. And I say that because in the U.S., we have a lot of experience with immigrant communities that settle in the United States. The model is always the same. The first generation will send a lot of money home, the second generation will not. I think this is also true of the Kosovo diaspora throughout Europe”, Costett said.

The United States, he added, remains a Kosovo partner, but their aid programmes are intended to help Kosovo become an independent country that is self-sufficient and are not intended to be permanent grants.

When asked how you see Albin Kurti's letter to the Abat of the Decani monastery, Sava Janjiq, in which he claims he wants to visit this monastery as a sincere wish.

I talked about this with Prime Minister Kurti. I think he sincerely wants to visit the monastery. I think it would be useful if he could visit. At the same time, my government has been considering for a long time, which is clear, that it has spent a lot of time and that the Government of Kosovo must implement the Constitutional Court's decision more than five years ago. We view this as the direct issue of rule of law. Prime Minister Kurti was elected on the basis of a strong commitment to respect the rule of law. We expect him to meet many other duties”, Costett said.