US halts dialogue with Kosovo

The US has suspended its strategical dialog with Kosovo, accusing the breaking away neighborhood’s leaders of taking steps that undermine efforts to work together on joint issues.

The decision was announced by the US Embassy in Pristina on Friday, though the statement did not specify which moves had prompted the suspension.

According to the embassy, the step was taken “due to concerns about caretaker government actions that have increased tensions and instability.”

The US and many of its allies recognized Kosovo as a sovereign state in 2008 after the province declared independence. It followed NATO’s 1999 air war against Serbia and the deployment of NATO troops on behalf of ethnic Albanian separatists in the province. Belgrade still considers Kosovo part of Serbia, as do Russia and China, among other countries.

Washington, Kosovo’s strongest political and financial backer, has previously accused Kosovo’s caretaker prime minister, Albin Kurti, of heightening tensions in Serb-majority northern Kosovo and stalling the creation of new institutions following February’s parliamentary election.

“Our relationship with Kosovo is based on a common goal: strengthening peace and stability as a basis for mutual economic prosperity,” the embassy said. “Unfortunately, recent actions and statements by Caretaker Prime Minister Kurti have posed challenges to progress made over many years,” it added.

Around 50,000 Serbs in northern Kosovo reject Pristina’s authority, looking instead to Belgrade as their capital and relying on it for wages, pensions, and healthcare. The EU, which Kosovo aspires to join, imposed sanctions in 2023 after accusing the authorities of inflaming ethnic tensions in the north. Brussels has pushed for the creation of an association of Serb municipalities to provide greater self-rule, but Kurti has opposed the plan, warning it could open the door to secession, and has instead moved to restrict Serb autonomy.

Lumir Abdixhiku, leader of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), the country’s third-largest party, said the freeze in the Strategic Dialogue marked “the lowest point in Kosovo’s relations with our strategic and existential ally.” The US-led process is intended to strengthen bilateral ties through high-level talks on defense, security, energy, the environment and economic cooperation.

The embassy voiced hope the talks could resume “in the future when appropriate.” The US decision comes as Kosovo remains locked in a post-election stalemate, with the Vetevendosje party – which won the February 9 vote but fell short of a majority – unable to form a coalition to establish a new government.

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