Grenel: The Washington agreement means the creation of new jobs

Grenell emphasized that this is the largest US delegation visiting the region and Serbia since the visit of President Jimmy Carter

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US delegation visiting Serbia and the region, Photo: ap
US delegation visiting Serbia and the region, Photo: ap
Disclaimer: The translations are mostly done through AI translator and might not be 100% accurate.

The special envoy of the US president for the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, Richard Grenell, said today that the US has taken responsibility for the implementation of the agreement signed by the authorities of Serbia and Kosovo in Washington and that it means the massive creation of new jobs.

"These are not papers, but new jobs, jobs, the development of the private sector," Grenel told reporters after a meeting with representatives of the chambers of commerce of Serbia and Kosovo and the delegation of the American Development Finance Corporation (DFC) at the US Embassy in Belgrade.

He pointed out that there would not have been that visit to Belgrade if US President Donald Trump did not believe that the economy could be put in the foreground and the emphasis on jobs.

Grenell pointed out that this is the largest US delegation visiting the region and Serbia since the visit of President Jimmy Carter.

He said that the agreement signed on September 4 in Washington will be sustainable even if there is a change in the American administration because the American government also supports the economic normalization of relations between Belgrade and Pristina.

"The implementation of the plans from the agreement signed in Washington will take 10 to 20 years, and the focus is on the private sector. We believe in the strength of the private sector, it is not the government that creates jobs, but the private sector," Grenell said.

The President of the Chamber of Detention of Serbia, Marko Čadež, assessed that Grenel successfully changed the approach to solving complex and difficult topics and unblocked the cooperation process.

"Thanks to that, today we are talking about business and common interests, not about what divides us," he said and pointed out that history will show that the agreement from Washington will be a turning point that brings stability to this region.

When asked what is the difference between the agreement between the chambers of commerce of Serbia and Kosovo signed in 2013, and recently in Washington, Čadež said that the goal of the agreement from 2013 was to remove barriers in the functioning of the economy and that a lot was determined from what was foreseen.

"We created a team in support of the Washington agreement and now we have to look for experts, companies and logistics to monitor the projects. They have done their part, now it's our turn," said Čadež.

The main reason for the visit of the American delegation is the opening of the DFC regional office in Belgrade, through which the agreed projects will be implemented, including the construction of the highway connecting Niš and Pristina.

The executive director of the DFC, Adam Boler, said that it is not a party organization and that he expects continuity in the implementation of the agreement, about which dozens of meetings have already been held.

"The key goal is to create a climate for private capital from other countries to come to Serbia and the region," Boler said, adding that he expects those who left the country to return and open their businesses here.

As he stated, representatives of five agencies from the USA, "the complete economic power of the American government", including USAID, the National Security Council and Exim Bank, are visiting Belgrade.

"The first joint statement between Kosovo and Serbia was signed. The expected normalization of economic relations between Belgrade and Pristina will mean investments in the private sector, the creation of new jobs. No one loses and everyone benefits," said Boler.

The presidents of the chambers of commerce of Serbia and Kosovo, Marko Čadež and Berat Rukići, proposed the establishment of a team for economic cooperation by opening offices in Pristina and Belgrade.

They signed a joint statement that the chambers pledge to be firmly committed to the agreement signed in Washington.

The statement also states that the chambers will ensure the implementation of the agreement through "carefully prepared action plans for the projects".

"We are convinced that the engagement of the DFC demonstrates the strong commitment of the USA to contribute to a better economic perspective of the entire Western Balkans region," the statement reads.

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