“Present statement all over the session”, Hill: Balkan Peaceful Future Remains in Focus

US Ambassador to Belgrade Christopher Hill said Tuesday that Serbia has a role to play for a peaceful future in the Western Balkans, following a joint statement between the leaders of Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina's Serb entity, Republika Srpska (RS).

The “all of whom are interested in Serbia and its future should focus on creating a peaceful and prosperous future for the entire Western Balkans, boosting regional co-operation with EU integration as the ultimate target”, Christopher Hill told REL.

Hill answered REL questions about the so-called Declaration for the protection of national and political rights and the common future of the Serbian people, adopted at the joint session of the Government of Serbia and RS on 8 June.

“Where all-Serb” gathered in Belgrade on Saturday, where leaders of Serbia and Republika Srpska called for the unity of Serbs throughout the region. It was organised under the slogan “A people, a assembly of Serbia and Srpska”.

On Monday, the United States Embassy in Sarajevo said the joint declaration between Serbia and Republika Srpska stems from legal provisions and is fraught with errors.

In a post on the social network X, the American Embassy said the “declaration does not constitute protection of the Dayton Peace Agreement, as the authors claim, but is a deliberate attack on this agreement and on Bosnia and Herzegovina institutions. This is dangerous”

Kosovo has also been mentioned in their joint declaration.

In addition to the name section, the Declaration also mentions that Kosovo “is an inevitable part of Serbia”, and that “entire session <xx3> supports efforts by the Republic of Serbia to maintain territorial integrity and sovereignty, guaranteed under international law, Resolution 1244 and other UN Security Council resolutions.