Escobar for Association: Decider, we would have to insist more on implementation than we would have to do together.

On his last day of term as Emviser of the United States for the Western Balkans, Gabriel Escobar, has spoken about the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue.

Escobar has said they would have to insist more on implementing the Serb majority communities' Association than on making parties together, since he said in some cases they have observed lack of will in this regard.

“We would have to insist more on implementing Association than on mediating that the two sides become together, because in some cases we have noted the lack of will on both sides. Interpretation and implementation of association is absolutely crucial for Kosovo. It is the most difficult, therefore as the most difficult, it was important that Kosovo signal that it is willing to address the issue of Serb minority on its territory”, Escobar has declared in an interview for the Atlantic Council's European Centre.

He has said that accepting the European proposal would enable Americans to lobby on European states that have not recognised Kosovo, to do so, but that they had no material for it.

“From the American perspective, since the European road included important parts of association at every step, we believe that by accepting a European proposal, through a European process that is dialogue and an agreement guaranteed by the European Union, it would give Americans an opportunity to lobbi into European states to say that Kosovo has done whatever Europe has asked for and to seek new recognition. Without that, let's say we didn't have much material to work on this”, Escobar stated.