The United States has offered to support Serbia’s “Open Balkan” initiative and its path to the EU, according to a statement released by President Aleksandar Vucic’s office.
Vucic and US Ambassador to Serbia Christopher Hill held a three-hour meeting focused on Serbia’s role in the region and its relationship to Kosovo.
“We also support the Open Balkans initiative and are ready to help develop it faster,” Hill is quoted as saying.
According to the statement, Vucic mentioned the initiative when arguing that “Serbia’s has implemented efforts to maintain peace and stability in the region.”
Serbia’s claims about its role in the region come as the Serbian entity of Bosnia-Herzegovina tries to secede from the country, and Serbia itself fields warnings by the European Union that it should impose sanctions against Russia.
The EU-facilitated Kosovo-Serbia dialogue was also a major concern in the discussion between Vucic and Hill.
They both agreed that Serbia should dedicate all efforts to making progress in the dialogue which has stalled since last July.
“Dialogue is the only way to resolve any open issues, as well as to reach a lasting agreement,” the Serbian presidency wrote in their statement.
Negotiators from both countries were in Brussels on May 13, but failed to set a final agenda to ensure a joint meeting.
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