Torres: US to take on greater role in Kosovo talks, Serbia

He made these comments in a conversation with the Voice of America during his several-day visit to Kosovo, where he is meeting with institutions leaders and representatives of non-governmental organisations.

I hope we can get closer to normalising relations between Kosovo and Serbia. I support the idea of the United States playing a more central role in negotiations between the two sides because I think that without such a role in the United States, negotiations have stalled, so it is time for the United States to take a bigger role in the process”, he said.

Torres said the tensions following disputes over the car license plates issue are evidence of the need for conclusion of this process.

It is not up to me to say how and when Kosovo should implement its laws on car plates. But the tensions that have conveyed this issue are evidence of the need to close the normalisation of relations, to complete the peace process so that we can integrate Kosovo into the European Union and NATO”, he said.

The Kosovo government's decision to start implementing the scale-scale decision on converting Serbia's car plates, which was taken in spite of calls from the United States and the European Union for a ten-month extension, has raised concerns in Kosovo of damage to aletat relations, especially with the United States.

But Torres said the link between the two countries is too strong to be damaged by disagreements on such an issue.

This is my first trip to Kosovo, but certainly not the last. I am here to prove the deep friendship between the United States and Kosovo is one of the most special relations in the world. It's hard to find a country that loves the United States more and I just want to send a powerful message that America's commitment to Kosovo, its independence, sovereignty and its earthly wholeness is committed to”, he said.

Torres said the path to normalising relations between Kosovo and Serbia is a very important element for Kosovo's NATO membership.

We have to make sure that history never repeats itself and that Kosovo is protected from aggression. There is no stronger security against aggression than NATO membership. It's a security umbrella that's alone. NATO can offer. Kosovo has long deserved this”, he said.

Torres one of the co-chairmen of the Albanian Affairs Group at the U.S. Congress wrote this spring to US President Joe Biden and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, stressing that following the situation created with Russian aggression in Ukraine, Washington should help Kosovo join NATO.