O'Brien: The most important thing is for Serbs in Kosovo to live as normal European citizens

James O'Brien, the US Assistant Secretary of State for Europe and Asia, stated today that while it is important that all agreements and provisions reached during the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue are respected, the most crucial thing is for Serbs in Kosovo to live as normal European citizens.

O'Brien said for RTS, regarding the establishment of the Community of Serb Municipalities, that it is essential for agreements to be honored. He emphasized that the draft Statute must go through the Constitutional Court, but there also needs to be a broader dialogue to ensure that Serbs in Kosovo, both in the south and the north, are integrated.

"CSM is an important step, and it is essential to make progress even before the Community is formed. It is important for people to live normally, for marriages to be registered, for children to be born, and we are working on all these issues simultaneously. The commitments have existed since 2015, when they were first signed. I can't promise a deadline, but the most important thing is for Serbs to live as normal European citizens," O'Brien said.

He also noted that the United States is not where the talks between the two sides take place but emphasized that the US remains very active on the ground.

"It is important to protect citizens of all nationalities," he said.

O'Brien added that the goal is to discuss practical issues, such as how to speed up the flow of goods, highlighting that it is in everyone's interest to open the crossings and allow raw materials from central Serbia to enter Kosovo to support continued production.

"Opening the crossing is a success. A lot of traffic is being directed through the crossings," the US official commented.

O'Brien assessed Pristina's behavior and the fact that it does not coordinate its moves with the US as the desire of Pristina institutions to show their power while doing less for the people.

"There are consequences to that, the biggest being when major European countries did not allow Kosovo to join the Council of Europe. All of this happened because there was no coordination," O'Brien noted.

He added that he would not insist on sanctions against Pristina, as sanctions are typically applied in cases of corruption or human rights violations.

"Problems are resolved through dialogue," O'Brien believes.

Speaking about European integration, he said the US wants all Western Balkan countries to move toward the European Union, and that in that context, the Growth Plan is an important step.