US delegation pledges support to Serbia, Kosovo after deal
BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — A U.S. delegation pledged Tuesday to move forward with helping to boost business and investment between Serbia and Kosovo after the former war foes agreed at the White House this month to work together to normalize economic relations.
American officials visited Serbia’s capital of Belgrade after traveling to Kosovo on Monday. The U.S. delegation brought together representatives from the Serbian and Kosovar business chambers and met top government officials later Tuesday.
“What we did in Washington seems big and it is big,” Richard Grenell, U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoy for talks between Serbia and Kosovo, said at a news conference held at the American ambassador's residence in Belgrade. “We are not finished. That symbolism is important, but it’s all about job creation.”
Serbia and former province Kosovo have been locked in a decades-long territorial dispute that exploded into a a war in 1998-99. Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008, but Belgrade does not recognize the split. The issue remains a source of tension in the Balkans, a volatile European region where Russia and China are also vying for influence.
Washington recently stepped up efforts to help unlock the dispute by focusing on the economic progress. The two sides agreed to boost economic ties in a deal with Trump, an action that some analysts viewed as an attempt to demonstrate foreign policy success ahead of November's U.S. presidential election.
“We would not be here if it were not for President Trump who believed that something different can happen," Grenell said.
He said the makeup of the U.S. delegation, which included officials from the energy and commerce departments, USAID, the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation and the Export-Import Bank of the United States shows...
