Moore: Kurti has lost the trust of the US; Kosovo's new government must immediately form the Community of Serb Municipalities

Ambassador Jonathan Moore, a retired American diplomat and Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council, stated that Albin Kurti has lost the trust of American partners and that it is high time for Pristina to fulfill its obligation to form the Community of Serb Municipalities, as reported by Kurir.

Regarding the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, Moore emphasizes that normalization of relations is not a matter of recognizing independence.

“I would add that we are pleased to have a new EU envoy, Peter Sorensen, a Dane and a very experienced diplomat, who was the EU ambassador in Sarajevo. And we met nearly 30 years ago in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The EU leads the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina. We Americans respect the fact that Serbia has its own views and perspectives towards Kosovo. As for normalization, that is a very open word, what would that concretely mean? A bit more trade, a bit more respect for various documents, hopefully less tension. And that would not mean any defeat for either Belgrade or Pristina. Normalization of relations is not a matter of diplomatic relations, it is not about recognizing independence. And I speak for myself, it is a practical matter,” Moore said in an interview with Kurir.

Kosovo has recently completed elections, and the retired American diplomat points out that it is clear that Albin Kurti has lost the majority.

“His Self-Determination movement had 50 percent in the previous elections, now around 40. Forming a majority is a task for other parties, including the Serbian List and attempts to form some coalition with parties like PDK, LDK, ABK, with the Serbian List… And then in the first days, the new authorities in Pristina should do everything Kosovo promised long ago. To form the Community of Serb Municipalities, to begin dialogue which has not made any progress with Kurti. Kurti has only caused problems, he has been a source of frustration for both Washington and Brussels. He has refused any kind of real, concrete, practical cooperation with the West,” he believes.

Asked if Kurti has lost the trust of American partners after all, he replies that it is 100 percent so.

“That is also the message of Ambassador Grenell, that is also the message from people on the ground from the American government. Albin Kurti has refused many offers, ideas, and attempts. Kosovo is required to be a member of international organizations such as the EU and NATO, and even the UN. But he has not cooperated with the international community. Some EU member states have not yet recognized the independence of Kosovo. Countries that are members of NATO also have not recognized the independence of Kosovo. I would remind that Kosovo has not completed its homework. It is not a big and long list, but in these almost 12 years, they should have had this Community of Serb Municipalities. It is not a complicated matter, it can be the simplest thing,” he says, emphasizing that we seem closer to forming the Community of Serb Municipalities.

As for the new administration of Donald Trump, Moore notes that everything he promised during the campaign he is doing every day with tremendous speed.

“That encourages some, maybe bothers others. He is a man who works openly. You say in Serbia: 'What’s on the mind, that’s on the road.' Less than a month after his inauguration, there have been many changes, and that in various departments, in our government agencies... Full steam ahead, and that’s the entire administration. As for the Western Balkans, President Trump had his contacts and connections before, and President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic was at a meeting with him at the White House in 2020, during his previous term," said Moore, adding that the Washington Agreement was signed then.
“It is known that President Trump's desk has many different challenges and you can be satisfied that the Western Balkans are not among the highest priorities at the moment, which compared to the situation 30 years ago, was not the case. This indicates a relatively good situation. In America, there are also domestic challenges, the issue of migration, then as a focus and the lack of peace in Gaza, Israel, Ukraine... I think that people close to Trump, including Ambassador Richard Grenell, perfectly well know that the Western Balkans play a positive and important role and that we have been present here for decades back when we participated in ending the war in BiH, and today Serbia is a guarantor of the Dayton Agreement," says Moore.

Regarding Grenell, Moore believes that in terms of the Balkans, “he has a lot of experience and wants to comment on current events in Kosovo and to be engaged during his term.”
The retired American diplomat also emphasizes that Americans see Serbia as a very successful and important partner at many levels.

“That is seen also in relation to the war in Ukraine. Serbia plays an important, concrete role in relation to calming that war. Serbia respects the sovereignty of Ukraine and plays other roles in a very positive sense. Everyone is clear that it is best to end that war, to find a way to stop, not just the fire, but a way to stop the entire conflict. Serbia has made significant changes compared to 30 years ago, look at the trade relations with Albania now. That is something that has never been before in history. That means that President Vucic has different visions and in concrete cases has good relations with Prime Minister Edi Rama. Relations are correct with North Macedonia. Now Croatia has passed elections, has its domestic issues, but generally Serbia has correct relations with Croatia. Certainly good relations with Hungary and finally, as already mentioned, Serbia is a guarantor of the Dayton Agreement for the stability of Bosnia and Herzegovina. All that is a very important and international role for Serbia. You mentioned the energy agreement, let's not forget the possibility for lithium. We support Serbia's path to the European Union.

We are aware that Serbia is not seeking NATO membership and we understand that as its choice,” he says.

Belgrade could be the possible meeting place for Putin and Trump

When asked if Belgrade could be the location for a meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, it was noted that Serbia's role in seeking peace between Russia and Ukraine could be significant.

"I have heard the same story. As for Serbia, due to its good relations with the Russian Federation and its respect for Ukraine's sovereignty, I think it is possible to discuss the mentioned topics. Of course, this depends on all potential participants. Permanent peace cannot be achieved if Ukraine is not present at these meetings."

Regarding the new Serbian ambassador to the USA, Moore hopes that Sutanovac will be a good ambassador.

"I deeply respect Marko Djuric, who was a very successful ambassador. He speaks fluent English, is very open, practical, approachable, down-to-earth, and did an excellent job in Washington. I do not know Mr. Sutanovac personally, but I know he has extensive experience and I hope he will be a good ambassador for Serbia. I also want to mention the US ambassador to Serbia. Until January, the ambassador was Christopher Hill, my former boss, who knows the Balkans well and has successfully worked here. He lived here in the late fifties when his father was in a diplomatic capacity. The impression in Serbia is that Ambassador Hill and his administration contributed significantly to improving relations between Serbia and the USA. The appointment of a new ambassador is expected," says Moore.

As for the new US ambassador to Belgrade and whether it will be Rod Blagojevich, the Kurir's source states that this depends solely on President Trump.