Rajoni

Fluent in several languages ​​and well acquainted with the situation in the Balkans, this is the new diplomat sent from America

Gabriel Escobar është i dërguari i ri amerikan për Ballkanin Perëndimor. Ai pritet të punojë ngushtë edhe me përfaqësuesin e lartë në B-H, gjermanin Christian Schmidt.

Fluent in several languages ​​and well acquainted with the situation in the

Diplomat Gabriel Escobar knows the situation in the Balkans very well, and almost everyone agrees. He speaks several languages, including Serbian, and since 1998 he has held successive positions in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro. Most recently, he served as US Deputy Chief of Mission in Belgrade.

There has been a lot of talk about increasing US influence in the Balkans following the recent US election. Whether this will also result in the dismissal of former envoy Matthew Palmer will be seen after Escobar's first moves.

Unique policy

"Palmer's departure means that the new administration wants to change the current approach to the region. So they bring in a man who will implement the new administration's policy impartially. But that will be seen very soon." , says the director of the organization, Center for Regionalism, Aleksandar Popov. He adds that regardless of the person, it should be clearly seen what the unified American policy is. So far we have had a liaison of actions between international representatives - those from the EU and the US. We will see how things develop in the future, but many believe that there will be no major changes in policy towards the region. The policy towards the countries of the Western Balkans will be the same as in the last ten years. It may have an even smaller impact,

Fluent in several languages ​​and well acquainted with the situation in the

"The main problem will remain the relations between Belgrade and Pristina and a kind of mediation in this process. Due to the situation with Afghanistan, the focus of the international community has shifted from the Western Balkans and it would be good for us to understand that the world revolves around us. ", says Tanja Topic, political analyst from Banja Luka. She also sees a kind of link between the decisions to appoint Escobar and the new High Representative in BiH, Christian Schmidt.

Schmidt and Escobar interaction

"I expect more pressure from the United States, which sees BiH as their child. The US has already taken concrete action against some politicians, in the form of sanctions (such as Milorad Dodik). "The arrival of Schmidt and Escobar means a more coordinated interaction and progress in the Western Balkans processes," Topic said. At the moment we have a situation where local politicians in this country are more expecting help from outside than they are interested in any decision or solution of their own.

Escobar in one of his missions in the Balkans has also been chief of staff at the Office of the High Representative in Banja Luka and head of the US Embassy Office in that city. Some media in BiH have reported in recent days that Escobar "was very active in electing Milorad Dodik as president of Republika Srpska in 2010", although others doubt this commitment. But this does not mean that such a thing did not exist years ago, because at that time in the Balkans a "new spirit" was required, says Popov.

Experienced diplomas

"Escobar knows the whole Balkans well and has a lot of experience. As for Dodik and the American hope that through him they will oppose nationalist leaders, now he is under American sanctions, which means that he can not influence no way the American decision, "says Popov. He thinks that the American administration can have concrete goals, when it comes to the relations between Belgrade and Pristina, but also to the relations in BiH.

Fluent in several languages ​​and well acquainted with the situation in the

Por të gjithë pajtohen se Amerika do të jetë e pranishme në Ballkan si mbështetje e BE-së, pa imponuar ndonjë zgjidhje. Paraardhësi i Escobarit, Matthew Palmer, ka deklaruar së fundi se BE është ai që udhëheq negociatat midis Beogradit dhe Prishtinës, ndërsa qëllimi përfundimtar i Amerikës është njohja reciproke. Por Palmer tha se Amerika nuk do të ndërhyjë në vendime dhe se SHBA është dakord që të zbatohen marrëveshjet e dakorduara.

"Amerika do verpojë nga prapavija, Evropa është këtu numri një. Amerika dëshiron të rivendosë bashkëpunimin me BE dhe do të ketë më shumë rolin e mbështetëses dehe jo faktorit që ka fjalën kryesore", thotë Ivan Vujaçiq, ish-ambasador i Serbisë në SHBA.

Mali i Zi si aleati më i madh

Analistët janë të mendimit se Escobar, falë përvojës së tij në B-H, Mal të Zi dhe Serbi, do të jetë në gjendje të kontribuojë në arritjen e marrëveshjeve, të cilat më në fund do të mund të realizoheshin në praktikë. Kjo ka të bëjë në radhë të parë me negociatat midis Beogradit dhe Prishtinës, por ndoshta edhe me arritjen e ndonjë marrëveshjeje të re në BiH.

As for Montenegro, Palmer praised the commitment of new Montenegrin Prime Minister Zdravko Krivokapic during his last visit in July, and called on Montenegro not to waver on its Euro-Atlantic path. It was then said that the United States "appreciates Montenegro's contribution to the development of regional stability and peace in the Western Balkans". But the focus of this country must remain on fighting corruption and organized crime - which are the two main requirements for Montenegro's accession to the European Union.

Original Deutsche Welle article .

* Tiranapost.al