Good afternoon, everybody. I am thrilled to be here in Kosovo with our Ambassador and our USAID Mission Director, and members of our team. 

This is actually my first time back in Kosovo since 1999. The last time I was here, many, many, many people were displaced from their homes. People were returning to their homes. There was a lot of damage. There was a lot of pain. I know the wounds still exist here in this country, but it is incredible to see the progress that has been made here in Kosovo, thanks to the strength and resilience and determination of the people of Kosovo. 

I'm privileged now – then, then I was a journalist like you – I'm privileged now to be USAID Administrator. And I've just had the chance to visit an incredible business here in Kosovo, that is producing very, very fine juice, I guess they call it smoothies. And I confess, I have now drank several of their smoothies. And I'm very impressed with the ambition, and the jobs created by this business.

USAID over the years, on behalf of the American people, has invested in equipment – refrigeration equipment here. It has helped matchmake, making business to business connections – not only here, but between producers and growers and processors here in Kosovo, with markets outside of this area. We have given grants, especially to female businesspeople, and I got a chance to meet with some of them as well. And our mission as USAID is to help Kosovo’s entrepreneurs and Kosovo’s people to expand economic opportunities, and to continue to help fuel the economic growth that we know is so vital, especially to young people in this country. 

I'm just coming from Serbia. And of course, as a member of President Biden's National Security Council, I am also in the region to talk about normalization and about the recent agreement and framework for normalization. It's incredibly important that that be implemented and that normalization occur.

Normalization will be really good for business. It will be really good for business across the region. And it will really be good for business for the kinds of farmers and agricultural entrepreneurs that I met here today. Political normalization will unlock the kind of economic integration that will make life a lot easier for business people here who want to see processes simplified, want to see their products going to more and more consumers outside of Kosovo. And that will become much easier if these very, very difficult implementation steps can be taken. 

So I met with President Vučić and Prime Minister Brnabić in Serbia. I look forward to meeting with Prime Minister Kurti and President Osmani here. I will also meet with young people, your tech entrepreneurs. And of course, also with our incredible USAID staff who every day are looking to see what more we can do to strengthen civil society, to fight corruption, to help nascent industries, you know, and entrepreneurs get the most out of their businesses. And I look forward to learning a lot about what more the United States can do to support the people of Kosovo. 

We've had an incredible history together, the American people and the people of Kosovo. And I believe that this relationship, which has been so important to both of us over these last more than 25 years, or close to 25 years, that relationship is only going to grow deeper in the years ahead. And we really look forward to seeing political progress and to helping accelerate the kind of economic progress that will make life better for ordinary people here in Kosovo. 

And with that, I'm happy to take a few questions. 

QUESTION: Miss Power, thank you, since you have mentioned your meetings with President Vučić and Prime Minister Brnabić, are you optimistic that in the future, Kosovo and Serbia will broaden their relations? 

ADMINISTRATOR POWER: Well, it's clear that very important decisions have yet to be made. But you know, for example, the agreement that has already been reached on missing persons who have more than 1,600 people whose remains have not been found and whose families are still grieving for them and not knowing what happened to them, you know, even that agreement, I think is, which is just one step, and of course needs to be implemented, but is an important agreement. And it's not something that had happened before. 

It is clear that the creation of the Association of Serb-majority Municipalities is an absolutely critical step that has to be taken to ensure that normalization can proceed and of course that is something that officials in Serbia raised and, and being very, very important, as the people in this country. So I think for us, it's less about are we optimistic, and so forth, and more about engaging all parties with an eye to really emphasizing what the benefits will be, if these difficult steps can be taken, and again, the agreement is there. 

There is urgency, for example, to creating the ASM. And, you know, we are hopeful that now that finally a dialogue has occurred about what that can look like, even if the sides have not yet come together on a vision for again, precisely what the modalities will be. Even that is the first time that that has happened that that kind of substantive engagement has happened. And so, it is important now, that ideas are shared and that compromise is reached, so that normalization can proceed, which will result – eventually we know – in eventual recognition, mutual recognition.

Original source can be found here.