Kasolli: The US has not abandoned the idea of territorial exchange, but there is no will to implement it

Analyst Afrim Kasolli tells Kosovo Online that based on statements by the US Ambassador in Pristina, Jeffrey Hovenier, it seems that the United States has not abandoned the idea of a territorial exchange to achieve an agreement between Kosovo and Serbia, but under certain conditions.

"In an interview with a Kosovo media outlet, Hovenier stated that this idea could be realized, but only if there is a democratic agreement between the two countries. Without such an agreement, it is excluded, and according to his words, the US is now focused on the Brussels dialogue process aimed at normalizing relations between the two countries under the current dialogue conditions. The current US administration, as well as the previous Trump administration, have not rejected this idea, but they have set preliminary conditions for it to be implemented. Whether this will happen and under what conditions is hard to say given the current circumstances, as some European countries, particularly Germany, have opposed this project," Kasolli explains.

Regarding Russia, Kasolli believes that it is not impossible that Russia might agree to such an option, as well as a new scheme of geopolitical redefinition that, as he says, includes its territorial claims in Ukraine and Georgia. In that case, Kosovo could also be part of a geopolitical redefinition where territorial exchange would not be excluded.

"But currently, based on the positions of international diplomats, and the stance of Brussels and Washington, it seems there is no readiness or willingness to implement this project. They have made it clear that they remain focused on continuing the dialogue in Brussels and on the obligations that Serbia and Kosovo must fulfill based on the 2013 and 2015 agreements, as well as the Brussels agreement and its implementation annex reached in Ohrid last year between Prime Minister Albin Kurti and President Vucic. In the current circumstances, there appears to be no international will to promote the territorial exchange project, and without international agreement and consensus, it is not possible," Kasolli states.

He reminds of the statement by James O’Brien, the US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, who said that he expects both sides to fulfill the obligations arising from these agreements, with a special emphasis on Kosovo’s obligation to establish the Community of Serb Municipalities.

"In the view of the international community, the right path is the creation of this Association, a mechanism through which the rights of the Serbian community in Kosovo would be realized," Kasolli concludes.