Hill: US supports the CSM, Serbian community in Kosovo needs to know what their lives will look like

US Ambassador to Belgrade, Christopher Hill, emphasized regarding the situation in Kosovo that it was an ongoing effort, and he added that there were elements on the table that should be there, and reiterated that Washington supported the establishment of the CSM.

Hill stated that the Serbian community in Kosovo needed to know what their lives would look like.

"They need to see what their future looks like. That's why the US strongly supports the CSM. From the standpoint of Kosovo, when they look at the past few decades, they see the need for a stronger international base and seek to conclude negotiations in a situation where they can join European structures. Both sides want something that can be done. Both sides can learn a lot from the experiences of Lajcak and Escobar. We are very proud to help them with this. We're not at the end of the process, we're somewhere in the middle. Maybe we're a bit stuck in the mud, but we're moving forward. I wouldn't dismiss optimism as a perspective. I don't see a reason for pessimism," Hill remarked, adding that he disagreed with the claim that Albanians in Kosovo were ready to do anything if the US truly wanted it and that a phone call was enough.

Hill said that this was a crucial period for Serbia.

"We don't support any media. What we do is support what people say in specific situations. This has indeed been a traumatic year for Serbia, with those terrible murders and shootings in early May. Unfortunately, we have a lot of that in the US too, and I know it was a big shock, and I understand that this is a tough period. Also, this is a decisive period for Serbia. I believe there are great opportunities for Serbia to make some fundamental changes," Hill stated for Nova S, as reported by Blic.

According to him, one of those changes is a clear shift toward the West.

"Anyone who supports this turn to the West is someone who receives our support for that idea. I'm not saying there aren't questions about how sincere that support is or whether it can be withdrawn. These are all open questions. But we comment on and observe what people say in this specific situation. I think it's high time for Serbia to do that, to understand that its future, even its past, is with the West. So, we support that shift. I must add that Serbia is somewhat divided in that regard, but I think this is an important and decisive moment for Serbia, and everyone should be involved, we need all people for that," Christopher Hill said.