00:00As outgoing Prime Minister Albin Kurti campaigns to win a clear majority for his second mandate,
00:07harsh criticism coming from Washington threatens to undermine his political standing with voters.
00:14On Friday, Kurti told the Albanian press that Kosovo's relationship with Washington is currently at its best level ever.
00:21The former U.S. envoy for Kosovo, Richard Grenell, replied almost immediately to the PM's statements on social media.
00:29He said they were delusional and that relations have never been lower between the two countries.
00:36The former emissary or former envoy for Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, the U.S. one,
00:42we are talking about Richard Grenell who now has quite an important position in the new administration of Trump,
00:49has had a really bully approach back then.
00:52These days we have seen that surely he has interfered as well in our elections
00:57by basically stating that Kurti has been not a good partner for the United States.
01:03Unlike in Pristina where the new U.S.-Balkans diplomacy has provoked political disarray,
01:08in the Serbian part there are hopes for better relations thanks to the Trump administration.
01:13We expect that the new administration will bring new power, new blood in this process
01:21and that we'll start to make some solutions and not just to have meetings and discussions.
01:27So I can say that expectation from Serbian community in Kosovo is very high
01:34that it's going to improve their position in Kosovo.
01:39Prospects for a normalization of ties between Serbia and Albania have also dimmed recently.
01:45For decades Pristina has looked to Washington as a central pillar of its security.
01:50But Trump's unpredictability could seriously unsettle the Balkans.
Comments