US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, responding to Republican congressman Keith Self, who supports Kosovo’s membership in NATO, said that this issue is not at the top of the member states’ agenda.
“I can’t talk about NATO expansion. I’ll be honest with you. Based on my recent meetings with foreign ministers, at least what I have perceived is that, currently, in general, NATO is so focused on some other issues that enlargement, especially in the case of Kosovo, but also other topics, is not really at the top of the agenda of these countries. But that doesn’t mean it will never happen. It simply means that, given these other points, this issue has not figured prominently in recent talks with our NATO allies.”, said the US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio.
The Chairman of the Subcommittee for Europe in the House of Representatives, Congressman Keith Self, during the hearing with Secretary Rubio, again supported Kosovo’s membership in NATO and underlined the importance of continuing the United States’ engagement in the Western Balkans.
Based on his recent visit to Kosovo, the Preševo Valley, Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, Self described the region as extremely fragile, stressing that Kosovo’s integration into the Euro-Atlantic structures is a key element for maintaining long-term stability in the region, but also for protecting the national security interests of the United States in Southeastern Europe, a request that he supported in a resolution presented to the House of Representatives together with two other colleagues.
Referring to the region, Rubio said that very soon there is expected to be a new high international representative in Bosnia, while he spoke about an Italian official, but without mentioning his identity. The Secretary of State added that the US remains focused on the Western Balkans and does not want to see conflicts in that region.
