Serbia Must Not Obstruct Kosovo's International Path; US

Serbia should stop preventing Kosovo from joining international organizations, said American Senator Chris Murphy, after meeting with the President of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani. 

He, together with Senator Gary Peters, started the visit to Kosovo, which is part of a one-week tour in the states of the Western Balkan region. 

"We are glad to see the latest agreement between Kosovo and Serbia that includes mutual recognition of official documents, but also the difficult steps that must be taken by both sides. "Serbia must stop obstructing Kosovo, its right to be part of international organizations", said Murphy. 

He referred to the Agreement towards the normalization of relations that Kosovo and Serbia reached on February 27 in Brussels, as well as the Annex to its implementation, which was reached in Ohrid on March 18. 

Murphy said that with this agreement, Kosovo has pledged to allow the establishment of the Association of municipalities with a Serbian majority, stressing that he hopes that this Association will be established "as soon as possible". 

President Osmani said that in the meeting she showed the American senators all the violations that Serbia is doing to this agreement, which also includes not obstructing Kosovo in international organizations. 

In April, Serbia voted against the request for Kosovo's membership in the Council of Europe, despite the fact that with the Agreement towards normalization it has pledged not to present such obstacles. 

Meanwhile, Senator Peters praised the relations between Kosovo and the USA and promised the continuation of assistance and cooperation from Washington. 

The visit of the two senators to Kosovo comes a few days after the Foreign Affairs Committee of the US Senate held a session on Washington's policy in the Western Balkans. 

The senior advisor of the US State Department, Derek Chollet, and Washington's envoy for the Western Balkans, Gabriel Escobar, declared in this senate. Both officials asked Kosovo and Serbia to implement the Agreement towards normalization and Pristina to establish as soon as possible the Association of municipalities with a Serbian majority.