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Grenell: Serbia, Kosovo Success 'Undone' by Biden By Charles Kim | 4–5 minutes _____ On the third anniversary of former President Donald Trump's brokered agreement between the Balkan nations of Serbia and Kosovo, the former acting director of the United States National Intelligence, Ric Grenell, said in a statement <https://thepavlovictoday.com/richard-grenell-takes-biden-to-task-over-serbia-kosovo-diplomacy-debacle/> that the administration of President Joe Biden has allowed the historic pact to come "undone," reigniting tensions in the region. "Today, on the third Anniversary of the historic Washington Agreement signed in the Oval Office by the governments of Serbia and Kosovo and presided over by President Trump, we're sadly forced to acknowledge that relations between these two friends of America have deteriorated," Grenell's statement said. "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." The 2020 agreement, mediated by Grenell, was considered a "major breakthrough" in normalizing relations between the rival countries and ending a standoff since Kosovo declared independence in 2008, the Washington Post reported at the time. <https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-kosovo-serbia-agreement/2020/09/04/b1283f8c-eec0-11ea-99a1-71343d03bc29_story.html> Grenell said that by relegating engagement over the accord to the European Union, Biden and his administration are witnessing increased violence and tension between the countries. "In the last two and a half years, violence between the parties has increased, dependence on NATO troops has grown, and economic prospects — particularly in Kosovo — have weakened," he said in the statement Monday. "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." The Hill reported in June <https://thehill.com/policy/international/4063433-kosovo-serbia-conflict-tense-europe/> that Serbia had placed its armed forces on "high alert" amid the new tensions and arrested three Kosovan police officers. Kosovo responded by closing the border between the countries. "No one in Washington, Brussels, Paris, Berlin, needs another source of major insecurity or conflict in Europe," the Atlantic Council's Europe Center Senior Director Jorn Fleck said in the report. "There is real concern about the situation." Grenell said the agreement envisioned a "shared and growing economic future" between the countries, removing dependency on Russian energy. "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," Grenell said. "They also agreed to a number of bipartisan priorities pushed for years by the U.S. 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 U.S. allies." He said the current administration must do more to make the region a "priority" for the pact to be fully realized. "More must be done if we are to see peace and prosperity between Kosovo and Serbia. Sadly, however, Joe Biden and his Administration has made it clear that the Balkans and its people are not their priority," Grenell said in the statement. "It is clear that the people of Kosovo, Serbia and the wider Balkans greatly benefited from Donald Trump's tenure in the White House, and I sincerely hope we will see another Trump Administration to once again make the Balkan region a top priority for the United States." Charles Kim <mailto:[email protected]> ✉ Charles Kim, a Newsmax general assignment writer, is an award-winning journalist with more than 30 years in reporting on news and politics. © 2023 Newsmax. All rights reserved. -- http:www.antic.org --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "SERBIAN NEWS NETWORK" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/senet/038b01d9dfd2%242af64890%2480e2d9b0%24%40gmail.com.
