State Department: Position on CSM clear, we cannot comment on alleged diplomatic correspondence

The State Department cannot comment on the alleged diplomatic correspondence, but the American position regarding the Community of Serb-majority Municipalities (CSM) in Kosovo is clear, according to a response to the Voice of America, regarding the writing of certain Serbian media about the alleged blockade of Kosovo's membership in the Council of Europe - until the authorities in Pristina do not adopt a more constructive stance on the CSM.

Namely, Euronews Serbia reported, and several media outlets reported, that the ministries of foreign affairs of certain European countries, which are members of the Council of Europe, received a note from the US embassy in which it is stated that Washington considers that the question of Kosovo's entry into the membership of the Council of Europe should not be raised on the agenda of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe.

It is also stated that the United States requests that the issue of Kosovo's membership in the Council of Europe not be put on the agenda until, as stated, Kosovo adopts a more constructive position on the community of municipalities with a Serbian majority - which, it is further stated, would pave the way for proposal of the basic agreement between Belgrade and Pristina.

The State Department, in its response to Voice of America, points out that the American position is clear.

"As Advisor Derek Chollet and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Gabriel Escobar pointed out in yesterday's joint text - now is the moment to establish the Community of Serb-majority Municipalities," stated the State Department's response to the Voice of America.

In a joint text published on Monday, the two American officials emphasized that fulfilling Kosovo's obligation to establish a Community of Serb-majority Municipalities population does not undermine the Constitution of Kosovo, nor does it threaten sovereignty, independence or democratic institutions.

State Department Adviser Chollet and US special envoy for the Western Balkans Escobar write that they are "expressly opposed" to the creation of any entity that would resemble the Republic of Srpska.

"The international community does not seek to impose a solution. Instead, we are asking Kosovo to provide its vision of the Community and we are willing to provide expertise and political support to ensure that it functions in the best interest of all residents of Kosovo," according to the text of Chollet and Escobar.

In an interview with the Voice of America, the representative of the American administration, Escobar, spoke about the establishment of the Community of Serb-majority Municipalities, who said that it would be formed, as he put it, with or without Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti - specifying that the Kosovo state and government have already agreed to it.

Also, in a recent interview for Voice of America, US Assistant Secretary of State for Europe and Eurasia Affairs Karen Donfried said that Kosovo and Serbia had to make difficult decisions, and that the US and the EU wanted to help and support them in this.

"The USA and the European Union are not trying to impose a solution to the relations between Kosovo and Serbia, but to help them make difficult decisions. They are trying to be the force that will bring changes for the better in Kosovo and Serbia. If they had, before I took over this task, asked if Russia would launch a major attack on Ukraine, my answer would be no and I would be wrong. It is so difficult to predict the future," Donfried said in an interview with the Voice of America in the Albanian language.

During the last weeks, the diplomatic initiative has been intensified within the efforts of the European Union and the United States to intensify the dialogue between the two sides and promote the integration process.

Dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia - a process of very variable performance, was especially slowed down during 2022 - a period marked by Russia's attack and military aggression on its immediate neighbor Ukraine.

The talks between the two sides, which should end with a legally binding agreement on the normalization of relations, were marked by several crises during 2022.

They were solved by engaging international partners, primarily mediators in the dialogue - the European Union and the United States.