Congressman Keating: Kosovo has committed to the CSM and must work on it

US Congressman Bill Keating has stated in an interview for the Voice of America that Kosovo must fulfill what it has committed itself to, which is the Community of Serbian Municipalities, and said that they must work on this with the European Union.

Keating said that one of the most important things was that the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives in Washington considered the Report on US engagement in the Western Balkans, and that America should pay more attention to this area.

"It is important that we had a search and that we were able to talk to the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Gabriel Escobar. We are in constant contact with him and he is very active in that region. The information we received from the countries about his actions is very positive and it was great to listen to him report on these important issues," he said.

Keating stated that during the hearing they agreed that the period of violence between Serbia and Kosovo must end.

"We want to be of help in the region as much as we can and try to facilitate peace. This has been going on for a long time and there are problems that we have to deal with. During the hearing, it was stated how important the issues of holding new elections and full participation (of the Serbs) are, or working on it as much as possible, as well as that full participation means that there is no interference or organized efforts by Serbia to boycott the elections. This is an important point. It also means dealing with the issue of CSM and making progress in it, as part of the plan for accession to the European Union, which is very engaged in that issue. All those things have been mentioned," Keating said and added that Albania and North Macedonia were on the right track, and that they should be granted access to the EU, which would also encourage and inspire neighboring countries to take steps and move forward.

When it comes to the situation in the north of Kosovo, Keating said that he understood Prime Minister Albin Kurti's concern regarding the establishment of the CSM, and that certain things were beyond Pristina's control, but he also pointed out that the establishment of the CSM was necessary.

"We have made it clear that these are things that Kosovo has committed to, in terms of those municipalities and the Community, and that it must be worked on. But, first and foremost, the violence must be stopped and it is something that both sides have control over. It is a prerequisite for moving forward on all other fronts. Kosovo did say that it would make progress towards the CSM and that is something that the European Union especially wants to see. The US is not as directly involved in the accession process as the European Union. It is between the Union and those countries. But if they they are moving forward towards the approach and committing themselves to certain things, they would have to fulfill it," he said.

He said that there was room for great progress that "no one has seen for decades."

"I think the goal of the search was to give confidence that we certainly think it's an important area that has huge potential and to reassure people that we will be there and that we will be active, that we will support, invest and be there in terms of the security of the region. I don't mean something as big as what's happening with Russia and Ukraine, I mean security in terms of ensuring a way of life that people can move forward and create that kind of environment with free democracy, elections and the rule of law," Keating said.

According to him, the Western Balkans has an extremely large economic potential, and more and more American and Western investments in general are a big step forward for the citizens of the region.

"We invest differently than the Chinese. When we participate with other countries, we don't try to take over them or influence the political decision-making of those countries. We don't try to take goods and everything else or minimize the benefit to those countries, but the opposite. When there are American and Western investments in the region, it brings income and jobs for people. Our government does not interfere with free enterprise. China does that. Everything they do carries obligations. And I believe that American investments are ready for even greater activity, as the situation stabilizes. But one thing is clear. If you look at the future and you see a future with Russia, you see a regression, or if you see a future with China, you see their control, their need to control access ports and economies," Keating pointed out.

Speaking about the sanctions against Security Information Agency director Aleksandar Vulin, he stated that this was a continuous effort by the US to stand in the way of blockades that hinder democracy, stability and the rule of law.

"The US has a policy of such sanctions and should continue to do so, because blockades not only hinder the resolution of important problems in the context of Russia and Ukraine, but also push the entire region backwards. And their intention is reduced to disruption, so that no progress can be made. I think that their message has not found fertile ground in the region recently. There is no progress. Russia's only goal at the moment is disruption that will cause slowdowns and disruptions, without a constructive goal, without a constructive alternative to compare with, but only to block, to cause disruption, political turmoil, with the purpose of slowing down the process and making the region more unstable. And that is not fair to the people of the region," Keating believes.

He also recalled the statements that Serbia had experience with sanctions in the past, which influenced the policy it leads, but he also emphasized that it is time to move forward, adding that it will "become clearer and clearer" to Serbia.

"There is no way forward, towards progress, by fighting with Russia on issues of destruction and turmoil. There is simply no benefit from that. And the second thing is - as we move forward with some of the other countries in the region, Serbia will want to join. We have to make it clear that such actions disrupt the entire region and are not fair to the countries that make up the region as a whole. And secondly, that we will move forward with concrete steps in the region and that they can get involved and take advantage of it, or be left behind," believes Keating.