WASHINGTON – US Presidential Special Envoy for Pristina-Belgrade Dialogue Richard Grenell welcomed the attitude of Isa Mustafa, President of the Democratic Alliance of Kosovo (LDK), one of two ruling parties in Kosovo, who called on parliamentary deputies to support the government in an extraordinary session before abolishing the tariffs on goods from Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, Radio Free Europe reported.
„Very good thread. Isa Mustafa is a courageous leader. Dropping the tariffs tomorrow would be a great beginning to much more progress – and it would move quickly. But economic development can’t move forward with the tariffs are dropped“, Grenell wrote on Twitter.
Last week, Prime Minister of Kosovo Albnin Kurti said his government would partially lift the 100-per-cent tariff imposed on imports from Serbia and Bosnia on 15 March.
Mustafa, whose party is a part of the ruling coalition, later tweeted that the US is Kosovo’s most powerful ally and the request for a fee waiver should be honoured, adding that the LDK fully supports the immediate abolition of tariffs.
„No one believes that any of the parliamentary groups or members of Assembly or government have found a stronger or more committed partner than the United States for the state and statehood of Kosovo. Or a more promising path than that of EU and Euro-Atlantic integration,“ Mustafa said.
Mustafa added that if Serbia does not stop its campaign against Kosovo and continues to apply trade and economic barriers, LDK remains committed to applying reciprocity measures within a period that the Government will set together with the US and the EU.
Vučič meets US Envoy Palmer in Washington
Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić wrote on Sunday on his Instagram account that he met with US State Department Envoy for the Western Balkans Matthew Palmer in Washington where he is taking part in the annual conference of the American-Israeli Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC).
Vučić said that he had a good meeting with Palmer, adding that they discussed issues of importance to the region.
According to Vučić, Palmer shares the views of the US President’s envoy to the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue Ambassador Richard Grenell on the tariffs imposed by the Kosovo government on goods from Serbia.
„I am grateful to both of them for their openness and honesty. They feel that it’s important to revoke the tariffs so that we can talk about fundamental issues. There can be no fundamental political talks between Belgrade and Pristina before tariffs are revoked,“ he said.