WASHINGTON – Former senior Pentagon official Michael Carpenter told the Voice of America on Wednesday that any progress in relations between Belgrade and Pristina will be hard to achieve before the April elections in Serbia but urged the forming of a stabilization fund for both sides, N1 reported.
„Do I think it’s possible, certainly is. I think a lot more effort and resources have to be invested but I will say this in defence of (the US President’s envoy) Ambassador Grenell – I think he achieved a lot in talks to renew direct flights,“ the Senior Director of the Penn Biden Center for Diplomacy and Global Engagement said.
He emphasized that decision from the Kosovo government to revoke the 100 per cent tariffs on goods from Serbia would be a very positive signal.
In his point of view, if the US President’s envoy manages to achieve solving problem with tariffs, he will be able to achieve greater progress in the near future.
„I think he has to resolve some of the reasons for the dispute and animosity between the two sides, including the tariffs before he can really get to work on an agreement. That is the road that Grenell is now on,“ Carpenter said.
According to Carpenter, the hard part will be putting something on the table that is acceptable to most Serbs and most Albanians.
He underlined that the US has an interest in the stability and security of the Balkans because it allows the countries of the region to join EuroAtlantic institutions.