Leaders of Kosovo, Serbia at White House for economic talks

The U.S. mediated talks Thursday between Serbia and Kosovo in hopes of normalizing economic relations and possibly paving the way toward resolving thorny political disputes.

Trump administration officials met with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Kosovo’s Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti to discuss furthering relations on the economic front — something that would provide the president with a diplomatic win ahead of the November presidential election.

Kosovo’s Parliament declared independence from Serbia in 2008, nine years after NATO conducted a 78-day airstrike campaign against Serbia to stop a bloody crackdown against ethnic Albanians in Kosovo.

Most Western nations have recognized Kosovo’s independence, but Serbia and its allies Russia and China have not. The deadlock has kept tensions simmering and prevented full stabilization of the Balkan region after the bloody wars in the 1990s.

The administration insisted that the discussions at the White House would focus only on economic development, but members of the Serbian delegation told the Serbian media that the 10th point of a draft agreement was not acceptable to Serbia because it touched on mutual recognition, stating that both parties would “commit to mutual recognition and protection of ethnic minorities.”

Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic, speaking in Belgrade, said Vucic “in a brutal way” rejected point 10 of the draft agreement on Thursday, and said it was an obvious attempt to widen the talks outside the economic issues.

Trump’s envoy Richard Grenell denied that the U.S. confronted the Serbian president with a demand to recognize Kosovo. “Not true,” Grenell tweeted.

Trump administration officials are working to open up avenues of economic development between the two nations.

“The people of Kosovo and Serbia deserve economic normalization and the chance to create a vibrant economy,” Grenell tweeted before the talks got underway. “Today I am focused on the young people who want a career, a good job and a connection to the West. I’ve heard you. And I will push hard for you. Let’s put politics aside!”

Senior administration officials said political discussions between the two nations are stuck and the White House has been working for more than a year to find a way to get the parties to put the political issues aside and focus on economic development and job creation. The officials spoke only on condition of anonymity to brief reporters about the talks.

They said Serbia and Kosovo have already OK’d three transportation-related agreements, including one that would clear the way for the first flight between Pristina and Belgrade in 21 years. According to the administration officials, business leaders in both nations are frustrated and have been talking among themselves outside of political talks brokered by the European Union.

On Monday, Vucic and Hoti are scheduled to go to Brussels to hold talks under the auspices of the EU’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell and special envoy for the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue Miroslav Lajcak.

The EU has mediated the talks between the two former wartime foes for over a decade, and the parallel U.S. effort, although focused on economic development, has not been fully embraced by some EU officials.

The White House summit was originally scheduled for June, but it was cancelled after Kosovo President Hashim Thaci, who was to lead the Kosovo delegation, was indicted for war crimes by an international court.

Thaci encouraged the “Kosovo delegation to make courageous steps towards peace, reconciliation and economic prosperity.”