TIRANA, Sept 13 /ATA/ Newly- appointed Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Gabriel Escobar said that the United States supports the Brussels-mediated Kosovo-Serbia negotiations, but expressed concern about the standstill in the EU enlargement process.
He made these remarks during a debate organized by the European Policy Centre entitled “Belgrade-Pristina Talks: Are we getting back on the right track?”
“Our policy towards the Balkans is to see them as the part of the EU. They are a part of Europe,” Gabriel Escobar, newly-appointed Deputy Assistant Secretary at the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs said.
“We will support the EU in its efforts to bring Serbia and Kosovo closer to the bloc and will work with EU towards integrating the rest of the region. It also implies strong signals for Albania and North Macedonia, including the resolution of dispute between Skopje and Bulgaria. He said that this issue should be solved as soon as possible.
Escobar expressed frustration with the process of enlargement coming to a standstill.
“I am concerned about the lack of public confidence in the message that enlargement is possible. “I am concerned about the lack of a strong message from the European Union either,” he said.
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