Palmer: Kurti and Vuciq this year can sign Kosovo- Serbia

As it comes to borders and territories, Palmer does not view this as an issue Kosovo is willing to engage in.

I believe there are far more productive areas for discussion at this time that should be addressed”, he said.

At the same time, the US diplomat in an interview for the Serbian newspaper “Blic” has said the United States encourages, as they have done so far, the full implementation of the Brussels Agreement.

After visiting Pristina, along with EU Special Representative for Kosovo-Serbia Dialogue Miroslav Lajcak, Palmer has stayed in Belgrade, prior to the meeting warned this month between Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic in Brussels, to resume dialogue.

Asked what has been accomplished during these visits and meetings with the heads of two states, he said there is much work to do, “but we would like to see both sides again seriously engage in the process that will lead to an agreement and normalisation of relations, and pave the way for Europe.

The United States is not a party to negotiations, but we are actors and partners involved in the process. I work closely with EU Special Representative Miroslav Lajcak, and we both work closely with Belgrade and Pristina to help them identify areas where they should work.

He thinks it is absolutely possible for Kurti and Vucic this year to sign the agreement on normalising relations between the two countries.

I think this is absolutely possible. But it belongs to them, and what we would like to do is encourage them to get involved. Both President Vucic and Prime Minister Kurti have strong political support, they are able to be seriously involved in the entire process, identify the parts where an agreement can be reached, and help the whole process move forward”, he said.

Among other things, he stressed that the goal of dialogue is the full normalisation of relations.

This is what is needed in order to restore the European perspective for which Serbia and Kosovo aspire. And the United States strongly supports this. Our vision to the Western Balkans is a stable, peaceful, prosperous and fully involved region in the EU and the Euro-Atlantic union. As for what will be needed for this, it will require the will to sit down and work on it to identify the necessary points of compromise and move forward. As for the United States, we see bilateral recognition as an epilogue that eventually leaves this topic in the past and puts Serbia and Kosovo in a position to move forward. But it will take time and it will be hard work”, he said.

Palmer has also spoken of <x0non-paper” that resulted in media recently, under which the change of borders in the Balkans was envisioned.