American Senator Shaheen: We do not want conflict in the Balkans

Senator Shaheen, who is staying in Pristina along with Senator Peter Welch from Wermotti, said the purpose of the visit to Kosovo is to express support for authorities following the September 24th attack on the village of Banjska in the north, where a police officer was killed.

We saw what happens last weekend when hatred and conflict are unresolved and citizens are the ones who suffer in that kind of situation. I know that Kosovo citizens understand what happens when there is a conflict and devastating influence on families when it happens. What we don't want is more conflict, as in Ukraine and the Middle East, happening even in this region. So your leadership, the sustainability of Kosovo is very important and the United States stays with you”, she said after meetings with Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani and Prime Minister Albin Kurti.

Senator Shaheen said the peaceful resolution of differences between Kosovo and Serbia is the way to the region's long-term sustainability.

And this is the time when the European Union and the United States are focused in this region, on the importance of dealing with existing concerns, and hopefully you will see this as an opportunity to take advantage of this” situation, she said.

Senator Jeanne Shaheen voiced hope that Serbia will co-operate to bring to justice those responsible for the September 24th attack on northern Kosovo, which sparked concerns about the security situation in the region. US senators expressed satisfaction with NATO's decision to add troops to the ground.

Kosovo accuses Serbia of organising the attack on the police, but official Belgrade denies any link to the armed group that carried out the assault on which Milan Radojic, former deputy chairman of the Serbian List, the largest political subject of Serbs in Kosovo, took over.

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani and Prime Minister Albin Kurti stressed security guarantees for the country following the September 24th attack.

The most important thing at this moment to prevent such acts of aggression in the future that would destabilise our entire region, is for Serbia to be held responsible for the act of aggression, to hand over terrorists to the Republic of Kosovo to face our justice system, and to increase security races in relation to Kosovo, to protect Kosovo- Serbia from such attacks in the future”, said President Osmani.

I also informed senators that the facilitated dialogue by the European Union cannot go on just as if nothing happened. We can't support this as “regular work”. The next chapter of dialogue for normalisation now must take into account Serbia's acts of aggression and its intention to annex Kosovo's north”, Prime Minister Kurti said.

In addition to sanctions to prevent further aggression from Serbia, a series of basic steps must be taken so that dialogue can have a chance of success.

And I believe that here it is important to have a balanced approach, including announcing and condemning any violation of the basic agreement we have reached on February 27th in Brussels and its anaxi of implementation of Ohrid on March 18th of this year”, he said.

The special envoys of the United States and the European Union, Gabriel Escobar and Miroslav Lajcak, along with French President Emannuel Macron's advisers, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Melon are expected to stay in Kosovo and Serbia next week in an effort to push the parties towards implementing the agreement reached in Brussels and Ohrid in February and March of this year.