Keepin touch

Whether you have a question, comment, suggestion or any problem in the purview of the government, send us your message and we will try to respond as soon as possible. If your problem is not in our purview, we will forward your message to the relevant institution.

The Government of the Republic of Serbia

In the service of citizens

Appointment of Palmer shows that US wants to speed up resolution of Kosovo issue

Belgrade, 31 August 2019

First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ivica Dacic said today that the appointment of Matthew Palmer as Special Representative for the Balkans is a sign that the US administration wants to speed up the Belgrade-Pristina negotiation process.

Dacic said in a statement to Radio Television of Serbia that the format of the dialogue, which will continue to be held in Brussels, will not change.

This is a sign that the United States wants to formalise what they are constantly saying, and that is to encourage a swift resolution of the issue, that is, to encourage all parties in the Western Balkans to build regional peace and stability.

The First Deputy Prime Minister said that not only this appointment is crucial, but that the key question is whether the United States will pressure Pristina to abolish the tariffs.

Dacic said that Palmer is well aware of the situation in the region, but that his "handicap" is that he has been at the State Department for many years and has an established value system and mindset that may create certain stereotypes in the current situation.

He estimated that Palmer is following the lines of the new US administration well and wants to reach a solution that would be permanent, noting that there are still issues on which there is no agreement between Serbia and the United States.

The First Deputy Prime Minister noted that other countries also have the position of a special representative for the Balkans, including Germany.

Answering the question of whether our country will have to terminate the agreement with the Eurasian Union once it joins the European Union, Dacic stated that Serbia has free trade agreements with various countries and that when it becomes an EU member it will have to respect its foreign trade and customs policy.