U.S. President Donald Trump’s special envoy for talks between Serbia and Kosovo said Friday that the two Balkan rivals must remove obstacles that have blocked negotiations for more than a year.
Kosovo must drop the 100% trade tax on Serbian goods, while Belgrade has to stop its campaign of trying to persuade countries in the world to revoke their recognition of Kosovo, Richard Grenell, the U.S. ambassador to Germany, said in Belgrade.
Click to Gallery
U.S. President Donald Trump’s special envoy for talks between Serbia and Kosovo said Friday that the two Balkan rivals must remove obstacles that have blocked negotiations for more than a year.
Grenell was appointed by Trump as the special envoy for Kosovo and Serbia in October. The EU-mediated negotiations that started in 2011, have been stalled since Kosovo imposed the tax in 2018.
Vucic said Serbia so far has lost 435 million euros ($480 million) because of the taxes, while Serbian companies have been pushed out of the Kosovo market.
“We come here just to push the parties together,” Grenell said. “I have no grand agenda, I have no ideas of what you should do, I am not going to push you on specific ideas, I am going to push you to help the economies grow.”
U.S. President Donald Trump's envoy for the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, Ambassador Richard Grenell, left, and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic arrive for a news conference after their meeting in Belgrade, Serbia, Friday, Jan. 24, 2020. Grenell is meeting Serbian President Vucic in order to move the dialogue and normalize relations between the two sides.(AP PhotoDarko Vojinovic)
U.S. President Donald Trump's envoy for the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, Ambassador Richard Grenell, left, listens Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic during a press conference after a meeting in Belgrade, Serbia, Friday, Jan. 24, 2020. Grenell is meeting Serbian President Vucic in order to move the dialogue and normalize relations between the two sides.(AP PhotoDarko Vojinovic)
U.S. President Donald Trump's envoy for the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, Ambassador Richard Grenell, left, listens to Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic during a press conference after a meeting in Belgrade, Serbia, Friday, Jan. 24, 2020. Grenell is meeting Serbian President Vucic in order to move the dialogue and normalize relations between the two sides.(AP PhotoDarko Vojinovic)
U.S President Donald Trump's envoy for the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, Ambassador Richard Grenell gestures during a meeting with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic in Belgrade, Serbia, Friday, Jan. 24, 2020. Grenell is meeting Serbian President Vucic in order to move the dialogue and normalize relations between the two sides.(AP PhotoDarko Vojinovic)
U.S President Donald Trump's envoy for the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, Ambassador Richard Grenell, left, shakes hands with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic during a meeting in Belgrade, Serbia, Friday, Jan. 24, 2020. Grenell is meeting Serbian President Vucic in order to move the dialogue and normalize relations between the two sides.(AP PhotoDarko Vojinovic)
Serbia does not accept Kosovo's 2008 declaration of independence, although its former province has been recognized by about 100 countries, including the U.S. and most European Union nations.
U.S. President Donald Trump's envoy for the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, Ambassador Richard Grenell, left, speaks with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic after a press conference in Belgrade, Serbia, Friday, Jan. 24, 2020. Grenell is meeting Serbian President Vucic in order to move the dialogue and normalize relations between the two sides.(AP PhotoDarko Vojinovic)
Grenell was appointed by Trump as the special envoy for Kosovo and Serbia in October. The EU-mediated negotiations that started in 2011, have been stalled since Kosovo imposed the tax in 2018.
“The tariffs must be dropped, that is unacceptable” said Grenell, who was in Kosovo before traveling to Belgrade, said after meeting Serb President Aleksandar Vucic. “I also have the same request here, which is: The de-recognition campaign must stop.”
Grenell added that the U.S. wants the two sides to focus on the economy, new jobs and prosperity for the nations. He insisted that “there are so many businesses that are ready to come in and … what we need to do is to get rid of what they view as a conflict.”
U.S. President Donald Trump's envoy for the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, Ambassador Richard Grenell speaks during a press conference after a meeting with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic in Belgrade, Serbia, Friday, Jan. 24, 2020. Grenell is meeting Serbian President Vucic in order to move the dialogue and normalize relations between the two sides.(AP PhotoDarko Vojinovic)
Vucic said Serbia so far has lost 435 million euros ($480 million) because of the taxes, while Serbian companies have been pushed out of the Kosovo market.
“We talked about establishment of a railway line between Belgrade and Pristina,” said Vucic. "It’s senseless to have a railway line and at the same time no goods traveling on those trains."
Serbia's brutal intervention against independence-seeking ethnic Albanians in 1998-99 prompted NATO to intervene to stop the conflict. Relations have remained tense ever since despite EU-led talks.
U.S. President Donald Trump's envoy for the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, Ambassador Richard Grenell gestures during a press conference after a meeting with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic in Belgrade, Serbia, Friday, Jan. 24, 2020. Grenell is meeting Serbian President Vucic in order to move the dialogue and normalize relations between the two sides.(AP PhotoDarko Vojinovic)
“We come here just to push the parties together,” Grenell said. “I have no grand agenda, I have no ideas of what you should do, I am not going to push you on specific ideas, I am going to push you to help the economies grow.”
Grenell said a meeting to discuss reviving railway links between Serbia and Kosovo will be held on Monday. U.S. officials brokered an agreement to resume air traffic earlier this week.
“We feel a sense of excitement and energy that we are beginning to talk and make some progress,” he said. “We are feeling some excitement right now and we are hopeful.”
U.S. President Donald Trump's envoy for the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, Ambassador Richard Grenell, left, and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic arrive for a news conference after their meeting in Belgrade, Serbia, Friday, Jan. 24, 2020. Grenell is meeting Serbian President Vucic in order to move the dialogue and normalize relations between the two sides.(AP PhotoDarko Vojinovic)
U.S. President Donald Trump's envoy for the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, Ambassador Richard Grenell, left, and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic arrive for a news conference after their meeting in Belgrade, Serbia, Friday, Jan. 24, 2020. Grenell is meeting Serbian President Vucic in order to move the dialogue and normalize relations between the two sides.(AP PhotoDarko Vojinovic)
U.S. President Donald Trump's envoy for the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, Ambassador Richard Grenell, left, listens Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic during a press conference after a meeting in Belgrade, Serbia, Friday, Jan. 24, 2020. Grenell is meeting Serbian President Vucic in order to move the dialogue and normalize relations between the two sides.(AP PhotoDarko Vojinovic)
U.S. President Donald Trump's envoy for the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, Ambassador Richard Grenell, left, listens to Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic during a press conference after a meeting in Belgrade, Serbia, Friday, Jan. 24, 2020. Grenell is meeting Serbian President Vucic in order to move the dialogue and normalize relations between the two sides.(AP PhotoDarko Vojinovic)
U.S President Donald Trump's envoy for the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, Ambassador Richard Grenell gestures during a meeting with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic in Belgrade, Serbia, Friday, Jan. 24, 2020. Grenell is meeting Serbian President Vucic in order to move the dialogue and normalize relations between the two sides.(AP PhotoDarko Vojinovic)
U.S President Donald Trump's envoy for the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, Ambassador Richard Grenell, left, shakes hands with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic during a meeting in Belgrade, Serbia, Friday, Jan. 24, 2020. Grenell is meeting Serbian President Vucic in order to move the dialogue and normalize relations between the two sides.(AP PhotoDarko Vojinovic)