On the third anniversary of the historic Washington Agreement for Kosovo and Serbia, which saw the governments of Serbia and Kosovo come together in the Oval Office under the Trump administration, former Special Presidential Envoy Richard Grenell has voiced concerns over the current state of affairs under President Biden.
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Grenell, the architect behind the Washington Agreement inked on September 4, 2020, expressed his disappointment with the current state of affairs, stating to The Pavlovic Today,“Sadly, we are forced to acknowledge that relations between these two friends of America have deteriorated.”
Assessing the current situation against the backdrop of the collapsed diplomatic dialogue and escalating tensions in northern Kosovo, fueled by Prime Minister Albin Kurti, Grenell asserted that “more than two and a half years after Donald Trump left the White House, relations between Serbia and Kosovo have suffered under an abandonment of diplomatic, political, and economic leadership from Joe Biden.”
Revealing insights into the behind-the-scenes negotiations of the historic Washington Agreement, Grenell recalled that former President Trump “instructed” him, to break free from the failed demands and political impasses that had plagued the region for two decades. He asserted that the persistent expectation of rectifying historical wrongs before achieving peace, security, and prosperity only prolongs the conflict.
“We owe it to the young people of Serbia and Kosovo to reject political stunts, symbolic victories, and score-settling—and instead work to create a shared economic future,” said Grenell.
In a region where NATO troops guarantee the physical security of people and assets, Richard Grenell cautioned that ” it is naive to count on foreign business expansion.”
Expressing concern about the situation in northern Kosovo, Grenell remarked that violence had increased, NATO troop dependence had grown, and economic prospects had weakened over the past two and a half years.
Joe Biden and his Administration has made it clear that the Balkans and its people are not their priority.
Richard Grenell
Grenell criticized President Biden for deferring diplomacy in the region to the European Union, asserting, “The decision by President Biden to cede American diplomatic and economic engagement in the region to the analysis paralysis of the European Union has made things worse, not better.”
Reflecting on the intricacies of the 2020 Washington Agreement he brokered, Grenell explained that it envisioned “a shared and growing economic future for the parties in which trade barriers were removed, new air and ground transportation links were built, the Serbian government agreed to diversify its energy supply away from Russia, and the government of Kosovo agreed to use the US government’s feasibility study of Lake Gazivode/Ujmani, referred to neutrally as Lake Trump, to develop water resource opportunities, including clean energy.”
Highlighting one of the significant foreign policy achievements during former President Trump’s tenure, particularly in the Western Balkans, Grenell underscored the comprehensive nature of the 2020 agreement signed by Belgrade and Pristina.
“Under President Trump, the parties pledged to protect and promote freedom of religion, including renewed interfaith communication, protection of religious sites, continued restitution of World War II-era heirless and unclaimed property, and to expedite efforts to locate and identify the remains of missing persons from the Yugoslav Wars,” noted Grenell.
The biggest sign that these Trump-era accomplishments came undone was the failure of the Biden administration and its EU counterparts to simply extend the agreed-upon one-year moratorium on Kosovo’s search for new membership in International Organizations
Richard Grenell
“They also agreed to a number of bipartisan priorities pushed for years by the US Department of State: designating Hizballah in its entirety as a terrorist organization and restricting its operations and financial activities in the region; committing to help decriminalize homosexuality in the 69 countries where it is currently illegal; and expanding diplomatic relations with Israel and other embattled US allies.”
Grenell told The Pavlovic Today that “the biggest sign that these Trump-era accomplishments came undone was the failure of the Biden administration and its EU counterparts to simply extend the agreed-upon one-year moratorium on Kosovo’s search for new membership in International Organizations in exchange for a one-year moratorium on Serbia’s de-recognition campaign against Kosovo.”
Grenell urged swift action, stating, “More must be done if we are to see peace and prosperity between Kosovo and Serbia.” He added. “ Sadly, however, Joe Biden and his Administration has made it clear that the Balkans and its people are not their priority.”
He expressed hope, saying, “ It is clear that the people of Kosovo, Serbia and the wider Balkans “greatly benefitted” from Donald Trump’s tenure in the White House. “I sincerely hope we will see another Trump Administration to once again make the Balkan region a top priority for the United States.”
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