Washington "buried" Pristina

Washington "buried" Pristina

"Kosovo can best show its readiness for NATO membership obligations by continuing to actively implement the 10-year transition plan (of the Kosovo Security Force) and not deviate from it," a State Department spokesman told Radio Free Europe.

The answer came after the President of the lnterim Institutions of Pristina, Vjosa Osmani, asked in a letter from the President of the USA, Joseph Biden, to use "leadership and influence to actively support and advance the complex process of Kosovo's membership in NATO".

"As we share the common goal of protecting and advancing global security, Kosovo's membership in NATO has become imperative," Osmani said in a March 10 letter that RSE had access to.

She also stated that, although the eyes of the world are now focused on the war in Ukraine, "we must not lose sight of the fragile situation we are facing in the Balkans." "We are exposed to Russia's persistent efforts to undermine Kosovo and destabilize the entire Western Balkans," Osmani added.

A State Department spokesman, however, said the United States is committed to helping Pristina "take its rightful place next to its neighbors in European and Euro-Atlantic institutions."

"We continue to support the Kosovo Security Force as it makes significant progress in its 10-year, US-backed transition plan to build interoperable multiethnic, civilian-controlled territorial defense forces that are not only capable of defending Kosovo's territorial integrity, but also to contribute to global security efforts abroad", the spokesman added.

A NATO official told RFE / RL earlier that the criteria for NATO membership were clearly set out in the Washington Agreement (or the North Atlantic Treaty) and that "decisions on NATO membership are made unanimously by the North Atlantic Council." Of NATO's 30 member states, four have not yet recognized Kosovo's independence - Greece, Spain, Romania and Slovakia.

A NATO official said that the organization's engagement in Kosovo has not changed and that it remains strongly committed to the KFOR mission, "which contributes to a safe and secure environment in Kosovo and wider stability in the Western Balkans."

"Through the NATO Advisory and Liaison Team, we also continue to conduct our capacity-building activities in support of Kosovo's security organizations within their original mandate. All changes in the position of our forces in KFOR remain conditional, not calendar-based," the official stated.