Velebit: The West is aware that the problems in the Western Balkans are not caused by Belgrade but by Pristina

According to the opinion of political scientist Vuk Velebit, the US administration is very aware that the problems in the Western Balkans are not caused by Belgrade but by Pristina, which was confirmed by Ambassador Christopher Hill, as well as the US Special Envoy for the Western Balkans, Gabriel Escobar, RTV reports.

Velebit pointed out that the US State Department Counselor, Derek Chollet, would say the same in Belgrade today.

On the eve of that visit, Velebit stated for Tanjug that the US entered the negotiations between Belgrade and Pristina since the European Union did not have the ability or capacity to lead them actively.

He adds that the US entered the negotiations with the idea of speeding them up and reaching a solution.

"I think that the intensified diplomatic activity of the US in the Balkans, and above all in Serbia, also speaks of the new, changed position of Serbia in Washington. There is more patience and willingness to talk with Belgrade on the American side now, which is quite logical for Serbia, as the largest country territorially, economically, and demographically in the Western Balkans region, to be the main interlocutor and then maybe the main ally of the US in the Balkans," Velebit said.

According to him, the door to establishing a strategic partnership between the US and Serbia is open, and it is very important to work on building trust on both sides, i.e., that Belgrade can trust Washington, but that Washington can also trust Belgrade.

Velebit rated the topics that would be discussed today as very interesting – energetics stability, regional cooperation, and economy, as well as maintaining regional peace.

"Because of its pragmatic approach, the US wants to work with Serbia on developing a long-term partnership, and in order to establish it, it is necessary to work on topics that are in line with that, namely energetics and economy. The Open Balkan initiative is very important here, where there is an idea of maintaining regional political stability through the creation of economic cooperation because if the region is more economically connected, there are fewer chances of conflict in it," he pointed out.

He emphasized that it was very good that the administration of US President Joseph Biden continued to implement some agreements signed during the presidency of Donald Trump and that in the coming period, a greater presence of US companies in Serbia and the region could be expected, especially if the "Open Balkan" initiative was extended to all countries of the Western Balkans.

When asked if now was the right time to form the Community of Serb-majority Municipalities, Velebit said that he believed that this was one of the topics of Chollet's talks in Pristina, which was why he would come to Belgrade tomorrow, and that it would not be possible to move forward into negotiations or to reach a solution without the formation of the Community of Serb-majority Municipalities.

"The only question is how much longer the Kosovo administration will resist the pressure and try to fake the establishment of the Community of Serb-majority Municipalities, but I would say that we can expect that in the coming period," he said.

When it comes to the possibilities of implementing the Franco-German plan, Velebit pointed out that it was obvious that several actors are interested in it, and that it was possible that some solution will be reached this year, but that he would not place great hopes on it, because, as he stated, "for the last 10 years we have been hearing the same story that the issue of Belgrade-Pristina relations will be resolved precisely that year".