Ivic: State Department report shows more pragmatism and significantly less pressure on Serbia

Petar Ivic, an associate of the Pupin Initiative, stated that the new U.S. State Department report reflects a significantly changed approach characterized by greater pragmatism and a departure from exerting pressure on Serbia regarding the status of Kosovo, adding that the tone of the report toward the entire region is primarily positive.

“It is clearly visible in one sentence where, diplomatically and deliberately, flexible terminology was used, stating that both sides should reach a mutual agreement acceptable to both parties. It was intentionally left that way, and we can see primarily much less pressure on Serbia,” Ivic told Kosovo Online.

Commenting on the report’s statement that the United States remains committed to KFOR and supports the transformation of the Kosovo Security Force into “territorial defense forces,” Ivic said this represents one of the less positive aspects for Serbia contained in the document, alongside what he described as primarily positive elements in the spheres of economics, technology, and “corridor geopolitics.”

Nevertheless, he pointed out that this is nothing new, recalling that since 2018 the United States has pursued such a policy and supported the strengthening of Kosovo’s security forces, meaning that the approach in this regard has not changed.

“This is nothing new. So, if we can at least say one positive thing, it is that we have no new unpleasant surprises,” Ivic concluded.

According to him, the overall tone of the report toward the region is primarily positive.

He notes that the document opens with the statement that American investments over previous decades have had an exceptionally positive impact on the development of the region.

“We are seeing a significant change in the approach to international relations — that the era of nation-building has ended and that a principle is being fostered whereby partners will be autonomous and capable of taking care of themselves. This places Serbia as an ideal example of a potential partner for the United States, because it is a country that allocates sufficient resources for defense, has an exceptionally large and robust technology sector generating more than five billion in exports, nearly 50 percent of which goes to the American market. In addition, we are seeing the development of energy diversification away from Russia, and so on. Therefore, the trend toward the region is certainly positive,” Ivic concluded.

The State Department report states that the United States remains committed to the Dayton Agreement and to the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Bosnia and Herzegovina, while continuing to encourage Serbia and Kosovo to make progress in normalizing relations with the aim of achieving a lasting agreement acceptable to both sides.