BELGRADE. A more than controversial American president, who is trying to scrape together consensus at home in view of the autumn elections, gaining significant diplomatic successes. At his side, two Balkan leaders who agree to take some steps forward in their very complicated bilateral relations. And to take explosive diplomatic decisions, to satisfy Washington’s “wishes”. The result, a range of disruptive understandings and decisions, certainly having an effect on the level of political marketing – then, if even on a practical level, time will tell.
Agreements and decisions made yesterday in the White House by the Serbian president, Aleksandar Vucic and by the Kosovar premier, Avdullah Hoti, summoned to Donald Trump’s court for two days of discussions and negotiations between two countries that still remain conflicted, after a bloody and a present of fierce contrasts. Trump – for months – has started the engines of US diplomacy to persuade the two at least to talk to each other, with the support of American feluccas. And perhaps to reach an agreement “made in the USA” for the normalization of bilateral relations, stealing the conduct of the dialogue in Brussels. Definitive agreement that yesterday did not arrive and is not on the horizon. But Trump was able to use the adjectives “historic” and “brave” several times. It did so to define the decision taken by Serbia, the first European country to support Washington, by moving “its embassy to Jerusalem” by July next year, a note from the White House announced.
But Kosovo also showed “enormous courage”, underlined Trump, pushing in the direction of “normalization of relations with Israel” and the opening of “diplomatic relations”, read the recognition. Moves by Belgrade and Pristina that were greeted with enthusiasm by Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu, who praised Trump and Serbia, “the first European country to open an embassy in Jerusalem”. Honey words also for Kosovo, “the first state with a Muslim majority” to take the big step.
But Trump also received another success yesterday, according to him “historic”, whose actual effects are all to be demonstrated. This is what the White House has called an agreement for the “economic normalization” of relations between Serbia and Kosovo, which would have been shaped by Trump himself “to make the world more peaceful and prosperous”, assured the spokesman of the House. Bianca, Judd Deere. The agreement, to underline its importance, was signed by the three leaders, Trump, Hoti and Vucic, in the Oval Office and not, as scheduled, in the less representative Roosevelt Room. The text of the agreement subsequently appeared on social media, disseminated by the director of Kosovar TV Klan Kosova, Adriatik Kelmendi, arousing some criticism from authoritative analysts such as Tim Judah, who spoke of mere “renewal of commitments already made” and little more. But if those commitments are maintained in the future, the situation on the ever-glowing Serbia-Kosovo axis could become less bleak.
In fact, the agreement provides for the implementation of previous agreements that have remained on paper, such as the construction of the Belgrade-Pristina “highway of peace”, the restoration of air and rail links, but also the obligation for the two parties to work towards launch of a Balkan “mini-Schengen”. Former enemies who have also promised themselves to give up for a year – as far as Kosovo is concerned – the race to join international organizations, while Serbia will stop working on the side of small Asian and African states in order to deny Pristina’s independence. “Another day that we all thought impossible is an important step to bring prosperity and peace to the Balkans and the world,” Trump tweeted. No word, however, on the mutual recognition between Serbia and Kosovo, a result that not even the US president can hope to put in his pocket in two days.
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