Charles Kapchan, an American foreign policy expert at the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington, stated that The US Congress is trying to put the Western Balkans back at the center of US foreign policy. He is doing this at a special moment – when the region is struggling with instability and political deadlock.
In an interview with Euronews Albania, the specialist emphasized that the inclusion of Kosovo and Serbia in the US National Defense Jurisdiction Act [kluczowego aktu prawnego regulującego politykę obronną oraz zapewniającego środki na siły zbrojne]is intended to put constructive pressure on Pristina and Belgrade to make progress in the dialogue and overcome the current impasse, while taking steps to create stable governance.
He emphasized that Congress is trying to encourage Donald Trump and his administration to become more actively involved in this region. American lawmakers believe that the United States should focus more seriously on security issues in the Balkans.
Normalization of relationships
— Trump will try to include the normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia on his list of achievements. We are currently observing [w regionie] increased anxiety caused by the US withdrawal from the dialogue between Serbia and Kosovo and the long-term absence of a government in Kosovo. The documentary encourages Albin Kurti [premiera Kosowa] to form a government as soon as possible after winning the elections [odbyły się one w grudniu, lewicowa koalicja Samostanowienie z Kurtim na czele zdobyła w nich blisko 50 proc. głosów] Kaphzan said.
But he added that there were concerns about Kurti's approach.
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— Kosovo's presence in this document aims to encourage Pristina and Belgrade to seek progress in bilateral dialogue and break the deadlock. The document also calls on both countries to establish stable governments. We are observing destabilization in Serbia, and there has been no government in Kosovo for months. Therefore, the time has come for both countries to continue implementing the difficult task ahead of them, Kapchan noted.
In his opinion, there are many officials in both houses of Congress who spent a significant part of their careers in the Balkans – that is why they created a bill dedicated to this region.
— Previously, the Trump administration did not focus strongly on European security, unlike the Biden administration. Congress is trying to put pressure on the president and his entourageincluding Secretary of State Marco Rubio, to take responsibility for this region, Kapchan said.
Donald Trump himself spoke several times about Kosovo and Serbia. He took credit for preventing the outbreak of war between these countries – he said this, among others: during a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. Now Congress expects Trump to become more involved in the Balkans – its members see him gradually withdrawing and are trying to get him to re-engage in the region, Kapchan added.
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