U.S. officials told Belgrade and Pristina: "Continue with the moratorium"

U.S. officials told Belgrade and Pristina: "Continue with the moratorium"

This is stated in the answer of the unnamed spokesman to the inquiry of the "Voice of America" (VOA) on the occasion of the first anniversary of the Washington agreement.

Two versions of the 16-point document, for the Kosovo and Serbian sides, were signed a year ago in the Oval Office of the White House, in the presence of former U.S. President Donald Trump, by the current Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and former Prime Minister of so-called Kosovo's Avdullah Hoti - then the main political negotiator of the two sides, Voice of America reports.

An unnamed State Department spokesman said in response to the Voice of America that the United States would continue to cooperate with Serbia and Kosovo in fulfilling its obligations, supporting, as he stated, the goal of comprehensive normalization of their relations.

"We hope that our partners will respect in good faith the commitments they made last year in Washington. Numerous elements of the agreement support our priorities and our broader vision of the region - energy diversification, regional connectivity, a moratorium on membership in international organizations and a campaign for derecognition of Kosovo's independence, as well as finding and identifying missing persons", it was specified in a response that State Department sent to VOA.

It was also pointed out that the need for complete normalization is not limited in time, which is why Kosovo and Serbia are encouraged to build political trust "through serious and substantial participation in the EU-mediated dialogue process."

"We also encourage Kosovo and Serbia to strengthen cooperation in areas of common interest, such as recovery from the pandemic and improving economic and trade relations," the response said.

It is pointed out that the United States is ready to provide support.

"The United States stands ready to support work towards a comprehensive, binding agreement on the normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia, focused on mutual recognition, which lays the foundations for lasting cooperation and progress. We support EU-mediated dialogue and encourage parties to re-engage in the process, bearing in mind the urgency of resolving both technical and political issues", an unnamed US State Department official said in response. Washington agreement was signed after two days of talks between the highest representatives of the delegations of Kosovo and Serbia in the American capital on September 3 and 4, 2020, the Voice of America reiterated.

Former U.S. President Trump marked it as a turning point that ended, as he put it, a violent and tragic past, as well as years of unsuccessful negotiations between the two sides, which have been in a decades-long dispute.