U.S. Ambassador in Belgrade Mary Warlick has stated that it is necessary to resolve the issue of Kosovo’s participation in regional forums.
She stressed that she supports Serbia in taking additional steps in the coming months that might enable the European Council to make a positive decision on Serbia’s EU candidacy in March next year.
Warlick stated for Voice of America that progress has been made in the dialogue, but that Kosovo’s participation in regional forums has not been resolved yet, as well as that it is very bad that there are barricades in Kosovo, and added that she expects that Serbian President Boris Tadić will continue to do all he can to normalize the situation.
“This is very important as it proves commitment of both sides in terms of regional cooperation and normalization of business with regional partners and international community. The European Union would welcome such progress in near future and I strongly urge citizens on both sides and leaders of both governments to stay committed to this process,” the U.S. ambassador was quoted as saying.
She expressed belief that the EU doors are still open for Serbia, and reiterated the stance by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and U.S. Deputy President Joseph Biden that they support Serbia’s integration into Europe.
“We want strong, productive relations between the U.S. and Serbia, since these relations have great potential. Besides the progress which has been made so far, there is a much greater potential, for instance in the economic domain,” the diplomat said.
Warlick stated that much more can be done on promotion of relations of the two peoples and in the domain of education, at the same time commending Serbia’s engagement in the domain of global security.
“In the last few years, Serbia clearly stated its desire to contribute to the area of global security through greater engagement in multinational peacekeeping missions under the auspices of the UN and the European Union. Moreover, an important contribution to strengthening of relations comes from the strong military partnership with the National Guard in Ohio. I hope for further progress in all areas,” the U.S. ambassador said.
Speaking about the economic cooperation between the U.S. and Serbia, she said that she was encouraged by new investments of certain American companies, such as the Ohio-based Cooper Tire & Rubber company.
“That is excellent investment which will create almost 500 jobs, and even more in the coming years. Also, a few weeks ago Sitel opened its contact center. I hope that new investments will be realized soon, but on its part, Serbia should understand that it must compete with other regional countries, and in that sense facilitate business dealings, tackle corruption-related issues. In reference to this, the country has already taken many important measures,” Warlick concluded.
Source b92.net
