Fried: Kurti misused US trust, it will be difficult to repair

Former assistant to the US Secretary of State and expert at the non-governmental Atlantic Council, Daniel Fried, has stated that the US has never been so angry with the Kosovo Government and that it is quite unsettling, as reported by Radio Free Europe in Albanian.

"Prime Minister Albin Kurti and his team took American support for granted. They have misused American trust in a way that will be difficult for them to fix, but they better start with it. It is clear that Kosovo is ignoring the concerns of the United States and behaving in a way that we do not encourage. I have never seen the American administration so angry with the Government of Kosovo, not even in the 15 years since independence. The US Government advised the Kosovo authorities not to create this problem in the north, but they ignored us. And the results are exactly what we warned them about," Fried pointed out.

He added that he had no doubt about his assumptions and emphasized that otherwise, "he would not be able to explain why the US Ambassador to Pristina, Philip S. Kosnett, and US Special Representative Gabriel Escobar were so irritated."

"I assume they have their reasons. I assume their reasons are based on the fact that Kurti ignored their warnings and took US support for granted, which was wrong and surprising," Fried said.

He emphasized that Kurti had managed to damage relations with the US without any identifiable interest.

"I think he made an error in judgment. He defines Kosovo's sovereignty in a way that he feels he can ask for nothing less than the maximum. And in doing so, he has worsened the situation. Quarreling with the Americans damages Kosovo's interests in a way that I do not understand. I don't know what he (Kurti) was thinking," Fried stated.

He advises Kurti to "take a step back and find a way to repair relations with the US."

"Any other direction can be much more costly. I don't know what kind of support he has within Kosovo if he is seen as the one who severed relations with the US, which was the most supportive of Kosovo's independence and security on Kosovo. The US needs a partner in Kosovo that would help stabilize the north. I think the US administration believes that they currently don't have that partner," he said.

He warns that the situation in northern Kosovo could have broader implications for the region.

"Nothing good comes from this. It would be bad if it led to open conflict – I mean the escalation of tensions. I think Kurti needs to respond quickly to establish at least a working relationship with the US administration. People make mistakes. My advice would be to fix them, but I don't know if we are still at that moment," Fried concluded.