Administrator Samantha Power’s Interview with Kosovo’s ATV

May 13, 2023

LEART HOXHA: (via translation) Dear viewers, the visit by Ms. Samantha Power, the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Cooperation [Development] and a member of the National Security Council led by President Biden, has been the most important visit to Kosovo by an official of the Biden administration. As to what Washington’s messages to Kosovo are as well as its views on the continuation of the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, which continues to be the main political topic in the country, we will find out through our conversation with Ms. Power.

Welcome to our studios, Ms. Power.

ADMINISTRATOR SAMANTHA POWER: It's great to be here.

MR. HOXHA: You visited the region back here after quite a while, but you do have history with Kosovo. What's the purpose of your visit? What's the feedback that you got after meeting the President and the Prime Minister?

ADMINISTRATOR POWER: Well, I used to be a journalist. I started my career as a war correspondent in Bosnia, in fact, as Yugoslavia was collapsing and as people were suffering in a major way. And then, I came here in 1999 as ethnic Albanians were flowing into neighboring countries. Initially, I was in Macedonia interviewing people as they came across the border about what was causing them to flee. Very difficult circumstances here with the war. And then I came back as the people came back, and watched them discover what had happened in their homes, and often to their family members, but also saw then even the determination to build a brighter Kosovo and an independent Kosovo, which would come, of course, later.

I can't believe I'm back now as USAID Administrator. USAID has invested more than a billion dollars in trying to expand job opportunities and livelihoods, build the rule of law, create commercial courts, strengthen independent media. And so, it's a much bigger toolkit than I had when I was a reporter with my backpack, and my notebook, and my pen. But I must say, over the course of my life, my ambition remains the same, which is, you know, what can any one person do to support the aspirations of people who want to live in dignity, and free, and prosperous. And so, now I feel lucky to be here and to have the chance to talk to Kosovans about what they think the United States can best do to support this stage of Kosovo's growth and development.

MR. HOXHA: And is growth and development conditioned by normalization of relations with Serbia? And if so, what's the stance or what should the next steps be? Were there any concrete demands, expectations from the U.S.?

ADMINISTRATOR POWER: Well, clearly, there has been a long period now since 1999 of no normalization, but an awful lot of democratic progress and economic progress. So, nothing can take that away, and that is why Kosovo stands in the position that it does today. Why it is, you know, falling in terms of corruption, and why reforms are taking hold even apart from the political process. That said, what normalization would unlock in terms of regional integration, in terms of reducing trade barriers, in terms of just Kosovo's reputation – regionally, in Europe, and globally – I think it will be a transformative event, and implementation of the normalization framework would unlock economic progress that right now would be very hard to achieve.

MR. HOXHA: It would unlock economic progress but would it lead to mutual recognition or are we talking about an interim stage?

ADMINISTRATOR POWER: Well, I think the United States' position on mutual recognition is clear. And certainly when one thinks about normalization and relations elsewhere in the world, that's a natural outgrowth of a normalization process. But right now, again, the focus is on integration of Kosovo into Euro-Atlantic institutions. The focus, of course, in Kosovo itself is on the creation of the Association of Serb-majority municipalities. There's a focus as well, though, on making sure that Serbs implement their parts of the agreement. So, I think there's enough in this normalization agreement to bring benefits for everyone.

MR. HOXHA: And you stated quite clear that the establishment of the Association of Serb-majority municipalities is urgent. And you stated that to the press. I imagine that the same sense of urgency was made clear to Kosovan leaders as well, because sometimes it looks like they are not that much in a hurry.

ADMINISTRATOR POWER: Well, both Prime Minister Kurti and President Osmani, I had a chance to meet with, and both were very firm about their commitment to full implementation of the Ohrid agreement, which of course also folds in all the previous agreements. And, you know, we are heading into a critical phase, where we expect both parties to turn up with very specific proposals so that some kind of common ground can be forged. I mean, you know, I think it's important to note that we have come from a period where there was going to be no discussion. First of all, that there was going to be no dialogue without recognition – that was a while ago. But now, even as part of these talks, a reluctance to engage on the Association of Serb-majority Municipalities. Now, those talks have already begun, they're conceptual and not yet in the details. But, I think, we are optimistic that in this next phase, that the Kosovo delegation is going to come with specific proposals.

MR. HOXHA: And the situation in the north of Kosovo, is such that it has been described as a security vacuum, as an institutional vacuum. Of course, Mr. Vučić said that Mr. Kurti is always in the mood for war and conflict. But escalation was mentioned by [EU] High Representative Borrell. He spoke about avoiding escalation and crisis. Is north of Kosovo being treated as a security threat rather than a political issue. What’s the stance?

ADMINISTRATOR POWER: Well, as is so true in all parts of the world, often the political and the security go hand-in-hand. I mean, it is absolutely clear that Kosovo Serbs should return to institutions that will improve livelihoods and improve social services, that will improve a sense of representation. But it is also clear that stability is important, and that you should not have armed elements provoking people in any way. And I do think it's a very delicate time where, you know, what is a sort of frozen situation could get unfrozen in ways that are damaging to the progress that has been made. And again, knowing that when I go back to the United States, I'm going to be sitting down with business leaders and say, “Kosovo is open for business. Look at all of these reforms. Look at the solar auction that we've just done.” You know, it's really important that stability be maintained as political progress then gets pursued. But when political progress stalls, that is inherently destabilizing.

MR. HOXHA: And the first agreement on forming the Association of Serb-majority Municipalities was reached in 2013. So, it's ten years ago and you say it is urgent to move on with that. You said that the situation is critical. I mentioned already other representatives speaking about the crisis. What if this drags on? If we didn't do it for ten years? If parties could not come together. What if we lose another couple of years?

ADMINISTRATOR POWER: Well, you mention my history here. I mean, I am so struck by all the hard things that Kosovans have done as they have birthed this country, as they have grown this country, developed this country. This is clearly a hard thing or would have happened, as you say, ten years ago. But it is also something that can unlock great benefits both to the normalization process, accelerating the parts of that agreement that I think the people of this country aspire to see happen. And then also, again, think of even the word 'normalization'. I think the people of this country long for Kosovo just to be a normal country, to not have to go door to door and seek recognition of what is a fact, which is that it is a sovereign and independent country. And so, I think keeping an eye on the ultimate destination, I hope, will make it easier for people to do the hard things that are required now in order to propel this process.

MR. HOXHA: And because this issue dragged on for ten years, it was subjected to speculation such as even some sort of territorial solution, territory swap, things like that, are those options ruled out? Now, are we talking about modalities within the Kosovo constitution and within a given timeline, within a given time frame?

ADMINISTRATOR POWER: I think the United States has been very, very clear about our position, which is that there should not be another layer of government, that executive authorities are not what is envisaged here. You're really talking about municipal functions that in fact are being exercised in other parts of Kosovo already. So, again, I understand the sensitivity and the concern, especially given some of those prior proposals. But again, the U.S. position about how this association would fit within the Kosovo constitution and Kosovo governing structures, I think is very clear.

MR. HOXHA: And as such, it is the only solution that is backed by the U.S. and the EU as well, since EU is facilitating the dialogue.

ADMINISTRATOR POWER: Yeah, and I want to stress something – that it's essential that the EU is facilitating this dialogue. It's essential that Mr. Lajčák was here, and is engaging the parties as energetically as he has, and the progress has been made. I mean, things that nobody would have thought possible six months ago have happened, and I hope that six months from now we will look back and say those things that we thought were going to be very hard to achieve have been achieved. But even though it's appropriate that the EU is spearheading this dialogue because of the ultimate destination for Kosovo is part of Europe, the United States is working hand in glove with Mr. Lajčák. And again, I hope the people of Kosovo know that we have your backs. We have long had your backs. The friendship between our two peoples is unshakable. That friendship has borne incredible fruit, I think, for both countries. So, rest assured again that the principles that we have articulated publicly are also ones that we are working with the European Union to make sure bound the negotiations.

MR. HOXHA: When it comes to, let's say, Kosovo's foreign policy ambitions beyond the dialogue. Our Prime Minister is quite keen on applying this year for NATO Partnership for Peace, for example, and other institutions where U.S. help is crucial. And is that diplomatic support from the U.S. conditioned by the progress in the dialogue? Are we talking about one issue holding hostage the progress of the country?

ADMINISTRATOR POWER: I was U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations under President Obama and, again, as part of my long standing relationship with Kosovo, I'm very proud of having been involved in trying to hustle up votes for Kosovo, to secure recognition, to try to secure associations with various organizations. The fact of the matter is that we are going to be more effective in that joint diplomatic campaign as progress in normalization pursues. So, I think that's really the way to look at it, which is that as we go banging on doors together on behalf of Kosovo so that it takes its rightful place in the community of nations, across organizations, has so much to offer in these organizations, as well to other countries. But fundamentally, those countries that haven't wanted to support that, it's going to be hard to shift them unless and until they see something has shifted here in the region.

MR. HOXHA: But at the same time, if nothing shifted in the U.S. regarding Kosovo's independence and its right to be affiliated with international institutions, nothing changed in the position of Serbia. And in fact, with the war in Ukraine and them not imposing sanctions on Russia, etc. Do we actually know if there is readiness from the other side to reach the normalization? We can't be talking unilaterally here.

ADMINISTRATOR POWER: Well, I met with President Vučić and Prime Minister Brnabić when I was in Belgrade just a few days ago and made the same argument that I'm that I'm making here – that European and U.S. officials are making – which is it is going to be impossible for Serbia to unlock the dynamism of its youth, to keep its young people in Serbia, and to secure the kind of integration that they want, absent hard compromises, hard choices, and absent implementation of normalization framework. You know, I think that there is a moment now with Russia having made such a catastrophic blunder, from Russia's standpoint and from the standpoint of the Russian people. That is something that clearly Serbia has taken notice of. You're right, of course, that they haven’t aligned their foreign policy with European Union on sanctions, but they have provided assistance to Ukraine. They've, of course, voted with other democracies within the United Nations. So, we think this is a moment where on behalf, again, of the kind of economic vision, at the very least, that Vučić has put forward, that the benefits of normalization should be apparent, and the costs of remaining aligned with a country that has isolated itself, damaged its own economy, and ultimately is going to lose this war, that those costs are much more salient now than they would have been before the invasion of Ukraine.

Leart Hoxha: And two more questions, the penultimate one, the situation in the Balkans is such that we talk a lot about growing Russian influence, about growing Chinese influence, about hybrid wars, and how crucial is to have normalization between Kosovo and Serbia in order for you to prevent those influences. And this leads back to me insisting once more on the urgency to progress further with normalization. Is it bound by any deadline?

ADMINISTRATOR POWER: Well, I think the urgency exists first and foremost, because it will benefit the citizens of this region in profound ways. And Kosovo and Serbia will be able to keep their young people where they want to remain, which is at home in their home countries. Prime Minister Kurti said something to me yesterday, talking about the incredibleness of the Kosovo diaspora, which we're all aware of, we benefit from in the United States. But he said we are a homesick nation. And I thought that was very profound because the people of Kosovo want to stay here. They come back, they start businesses, they travel, they stay connected. But when the economic possibilities are fully unlocked by normalization, by integration into Europe, it is going to be much easier to keep people here. So to me, of course, there are these geopolitical dimensions. But first and foremost, this is about advancing the dignity and prosperity of the people here.

MR. HOXHA: And is it bound by any deadline? And what's at stake if the issue drags on further?

ADMINISTRATOR POWER: We will continue to press and stress the urgency because it is about the day to day consequences for the citizens of this country.

Thank you.