Reports in the media that he could be declared "non grata", Escobar makes it clear: Albin Kurti is our partner, even though sometimes it is difficult
"Prime Minister Albin Kurti is our partner, even though sometimes he is a difficult collaborator, he continues to remain a partner", said the American special emissary for the Western Balkans, Gabriel Escobar.
The statement comes a few days after reports in the media that Albin Kurti could be declared "non grata" by the USA due to the situation in the north of Kosovo.
In an interview for the Institute for Politics and Economy of Southeast Europe, Escobar emphasized that Kosovo continues to be a partner of the United States of America.
"I have to make it clear. Albin Kurti is our partner. He is sometimes a difficult collaborator, but he remains a partner. Kosovo is our partner. In the future, we want to use the good relations we have with Kosovo, to improve the relations with Serbia", said Escobar.
According to him, if the US had any role in decision-making regarding the region's integration into the European Union, then the entire region would be within the EU by 2030.
"The United States of America will continue to advocate for the progress of the Western Balkans and see it as an area of extraordinary opportunity that should be fully integrated into the European Union," said Escobar.
He adds that for the US, the Western Balkans remains an area of tremendous opportunity.
"We continue to remain engaged in the Western Balkans. For the United States government, the Western Balkans remains an area of tremendous opportunity. The defining characteristic of the Western Balkans at the moment is economic growth and high economic potential. The region has the potential to be a leader in IT, transport, energy, infrastructure, transport and even tourism. The region has a talented and relatively young workforce. So we will continue to invest in this direction and we hope that the investment in the future of the region will help to overcome some of the political problems", he added.