"Little Trump" re: Kosovo and Metohija: "He has already chosen sides; it's a shame"

"Little Trump" re: Kosovo and Metohija: "He has already chosen sides; it's a shame"

Namely, as he stated, Blinken has already shown that he chose the side and that is why he has no credibility.

"I am someone who was applauded and criticized by both sides (Serbs and Albanians). I am very pleased with the progress we have made. I have supporters and slanderers on both sides," Grenell told Pavlovic Today.

Speaking about the Washington agreement, Grenell said that the point related to energy diversification did not please either Belgrade or Pristina, and assessed that Serbia should continue to move on the path of diversification of its energy, moving away from Russia and China, "because no one should rely on one country or one form of energy".

He also said that he felt that the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, "in the end was very brave to recognize that and to move forward". Grenell recently attended a diplomatic dinner organized for the members of the Congress by Serbian Ambassador to the United States Marko Djuric, and when asked if he was satisfied with the current bilateral relations between Serbia and the United States, he said he was never completely satisfied. "I always want to raise the bar to do more," he said.

He also stated that, after visiting Belgrade and Pristina, he returned fully convinced that "all people and politicians are eager to achieve economic normalization". He also finds it shocking that many Americans do not understand that the Washington Agreement has made progress compared to the past 20 years, and he revealed that former U.S. First Lady Melania Trump was one of the most ardent supporters of reaching an economic agreement between Belgrade and Pristina.

"We are really at a fundamentally different point, a different relationship between America and Kosovo and America and Serbia and Serbia, America and Albania and with the Balkan countries in general. It is important not to get stuck in the past, but to allow, I would say, not only reconciliation of what is happening", Grenell said.

He emphasized that this was the basis of his and former U.S. President Donald Trump's approach to dialogue, which he called "the Kosovo-Serbian deadlock". He pointed out that non-governmental organizations in Washington, the so-called "think tank" organizations, "think they are smart", but said that all those who have been working on the issue of dialogue between the two sides have not made progress for 20 years.

He added that he noted the desire of Belgrade and Pristina to advance in the negotiations on the Agreement on Economic Normalization, to create jobs for young people, outside of any political talks, and that is why he focused on opening borders for trade.

"One of the newest and most revolutionary parts of the Serbia-Kosovo agreement was that the US administration could freeze recognition and withdrawal campaigns in 2021 over the territorial conflict and focus instead on job growth and job creation."

He said that he was proud of the part of the agreement on flights between Belgrade and Pristina, which did not come to life due to the coronavirus pandemic, and now, as he said, it is not mentioned due to the administration of President Joseph Biden.

"The business community wants that. That's what they need to move forward in creating jobs and opening new industries. That should be a priority," Grenell said. Speaking about the latest political developments, Grenell said he wanted to be "clear in one thing, that the Biden administration deserves recognition."

"Someone from the Biden administration decided, after reading four economic agreements, to say, 'This is good,' and that it should be part of the American policy that the Biden administration is pushing forward," Grenell said. The opening of the International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) in Serbia, as he states, was historic, necessary and was something that American politicians of all parties should support, because it is something that would help coordinate economic agreements and "move away from Russia and China".

"It's a way for the United States to have a closer relationship with the region. For some reason, Biden's team did not follow and continue that policy. It's a shame. It doesn't help America. They miss the opportunity. I hope people in the State Department realize that at some point", said Grenell. He also stated that one should not "vote for radical policies that cause chaos at the border" and do not care about the economy.

One thing is for sure: regardless of which party it was born from, a policy like the Agreement on Economic Normalization of Serbia and Kosovo is good. "If Washington could soften its commitment and see what is actually good for the United States and the people of the Western Balkans, the American beacon of hope could continue to shine a light on Serbia and Kosovo, as well as the rest of the world," Grenell concluded.