O'Brian: International policy towards the Serbian community is based on the establishment of the CSM

James O'Brian, the Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs at the State Department, stated that the international policy, including that of the USA, towards the Serbian community in Kosovo is based on the establishment of the Community of Serbian Municipalities. President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic thanked O'Brian for stating that it is critically important for Pristina to form the CSM, but also noted that this obligation has been a dead letter for 11 years.

James O'Brian, the Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs at the State Department, said after a meeting with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic that he had a good meeting, which is part of a program that will also see him meet with other representatives of the Serbian community, including the patriarch.

"One of the topics of my conversation with the president was how he manages to speak with all the different representatives from the U.S. who visit. We began our conversation about the president's upcoming trip to the UN General Assembly session," he said.

O'Brian said that Kosovo had promised to fulfill its obligation to establish the CSM.

"It is crucial for the Serbs in Kosovo to understand what their life will be like. If there is a concern that the international community is not helping, I hope that we will do everything to fulfill the promise made to ourselves and others. I expect this to be a topic in New York. International policy towards the Serbian community rests on the establishment of the CSM," he explained.

Regarding the voting at the UN General Assembly on the genocide resolution, O'Brian mentioned that in the U.S., there has been much discussion about its own history, as well as the history of others, particularly about Srebrenica.

"I was a young lawyer and worked on investigating genocide. I was among those who investigated the murders in Srebrenica. It is a criminal offense, a crime, and many perpetrators have been under investigation; that is what the investigative process serves. What I remember is that the RS forces and the Government of Serbia guaranteed security during the investigation. Serbian officials went with us, and then representatives were with us as we sought the truth. That's what we do even today. We have to face the truth. We were partners then and must remain partners," he emphasized.

O'Brian highlighted that the main topic of conversation was how the U.S. and Serbia can and should remain partners.

"We talked about many topics today about the region and the global situation, where the Government of Serbia is a partner of the U.S. It is particularly important that we bring the four freedoms on which the EU rests. The U.S. government is encouraged by EU representatives' statements to continue discussions on accession, but also other activities. President Vucic advocates for this. We want to continue to minimize the role of borders and continue to be good partners as the U.S. and Serbia have been for years," the American official concluded.

Vucic: Thank you, O'Brian, for saying the CSM is important, but it has been a dead letter for 11 years

President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic emphasized that the topics on the table are very difficult for Serbia, primarily regarding Kosovo, because there is consensus only on the stance that it is necessary to maintain peace and stability, while in all other issues – opinions differ.

"I promised that Serbia would act responsibly and seriously and mentioned the lies that came from those who speak of invasion and war... We have no intention of participating in that; we have excellent cooperation with KFOR," Vucic said.

On the other hand, opinions are completely opposed regarding Pristina's membership in the Council of Europe and the resolution on Srebrenica.

"Thank you to O'Brian for stating that it is extremely important for Pristina to form the CSM. That obligation is significant and strong for 11 years, and for 11 years, it has been a dead letter. For more than 4,000 days, everyone, both Pristina and the EU, has been lying to us," Vucic pointed out.

Serbia has done everything from the Brussels Agreement, even from the Ohrid Agreement, but Pristina, he says, is interested in nothing, nor is it bound by anything.

"They just created new problems for the Serbs, like the abolition of the dinar.. And now, they say we propose a solution for how to pay out euros, and then they won't even accept that..." Vucic noted.

Despite all this, Serbs in Kosovo are arrested and beaten daily, while the State Department, NATO, the EU, and everyone else remain silent, added the president of Serbia.

"That's why Kosovo will be rewarded with membership in the Council of Europe," Vucic said, promising that Serbia will resist the violence against Serbs and Serbia in the Council of Europe as much as it can.

Regarding the resolution on Srebrenica, Vucic again expressed concern about its possible adoption, warning that it would disrupt relations in the region.

"The decision to initiate it was made as a decision of one people in BiH, and then the debate was moved from the Security Council to the UN General Assembly where it doesn't belong. And, surprisingly, it was initiated on the 'round 29th anniversary', because 29th anniversaries are usually the most important in the world," he added ironically.

He added that although everyone says the resolution is not against Serbs, Serbs have not understood it that way.

"Even when we formally lose, we must raise our heads, fight for Serbia's economic progress, for the lives of our children, and walk with our heads held high even though they tried to force them down," Vucic stated.

He added that bilateral cooperation between Serbia and the U.S. is exceptionally good, politically and economically, given that American companies are building some highways, and will, he announced, also build some of the largest hydroelectric plants.

"It's important that the U.S. invests more, and the Growth Plan and support for our European path are important because they move the country forward and mean a lot to the citizens," said Vucic.

Asked why the U.S. and NATO quickly reacted to the detention of Albanians by Serbian police, while the reaction to the arrest of Serbs is lacking, O'Brian noted that everyone makes choices about what they do in public and what privately.

"That's the essence of diplomacy. The choice we made was related to the arrest last weekend in Kosovo. We decided to speak very openly in private conversation and so we decided to talk on that topic and it was helpful," said O'Brian.

He stressed that the U.S. will consider the concerns raised by Vucic at the meeting.

"It's our task as part of the international community to fulfill our promises, meaning we see that people are treated well while in custody and we will make sure that it is so," the American official stated.

O'Brian indicated that it is crucial for all sides to work on improving the standard of living for citizens in the region.

"The things that divide us indicate that things on the ground don't look good, but we are at a moment of fantastic opportunities and rightly the president is proud that the economy is doing well and the citizens have made an effort to keep it that way. Exactly this comes from European leaders with support from the U.S.," O'Brian said, adding that he hopes policies in the future will move towards prosperity and economic development, rather than division.